A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire.

During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.

Pursued by the Empire’s sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy…

So begins George Lucas’ 1977 epic space opera, Star Wars. I bet you can easily picture the yellow text, set atop a black and starry background, slowly scrolling through the screen, getting smaller as new lines of text appear.

And don’t forget that phenomenal John Williams soundtrack that starts the film too…

The video clip captures the experience better than mere text ever could.

It’s an amazing movie franchise that spans 10 feature films over four decades, with more on the way.

To be honest, watching Star Wars movies always makes me feel a little churchy anyways. When hearing that familiar phrase, “May the Force be with you,” I can’t help but want to reply, “And also with you” ?.

Ironically, the backstory for the opening plot, of the first 70s Star Wars film, only came out a few years ago, in 2016. This Star Wars backstory film, Rogue One, details just what it took to acquire these valuable, life-saving plans.

Rogue One
Rogue One tells the tale of a group of unlikely heroes banding together to counter the Empire’s massive weapon, the Death Star. The sense of dread that hangs in most every scene of Rogue One is palpable. There is humor in the film, but just a touch. There is color, but just a touch. Mostly the film features a visual palette of black and white with lots and lots of gray.

And why not? The odds for this mission seem insurmountable: they faced a destructive empire at the height of power. And they face a weapon with the destructive force to annihilate an entire planet.

Early in the film, Cassian Andor, a rebel intelligence officer, tells the film’s heroine, Jyn Erso, what keeps him going.

Rebellions are built on hope, he tells her.

Jyn responds with something resembling a mix of scowl and smirk. Aka she ain’t buying it. The empire she faces has already killed her mother, taken her father from her, and enslaved her for most her life.

Hope, with this backdrop, is hard.
Hope, with this backdrop, doesn’t come easy.

Yet the two press on.

Over time her heart begins to soften. Viewers begin to imagine that there just might be a shred of hope within Gyn Erso still.

Eventually this phrase, rebellions are built on hope, is what she uses to help draw others to the mission, despite daunting odds.

This ethos, that rebellions are built on hope, carries the rebels to their spacecraft, fittingly called Rogue One, and toward their ominous task.

This belief, that rebellions are built on hope, give the Rogue Ones the strength they need to acquire the plans to the dreaded Death Star.

It is this hope, that empowers the rebellion to lower the shields and transmit the plans, via satellite upload, to the outside world.

And before you know it the plan, to overcome death, once and for all, is known throughout the galaxy.

The Backstory

Two millennia ago, on a continent thousands of miles away…

There were wars, and rumors of wars, and poverty, and sickness, and death.

There was an empire, known for its brutal rule leaving little room for dissent.

And there was God, sadly knowing this divine creation was not as it should be.

Within this context God sent the ultimate rebel, The Rogue One, to deal with this culture of sin and domination and death, once and for all.

Pursued by agents, from both the religious and political empires of the day, the Rogue One was custodian of sacred plans. These plans can save God’s people and restore peace, and freedom to the galaxy…

(Feel free to hum the John Williams opening tune for this text too ? )

So begins our epic faith-drama that culminates Easter day.

The Rogue One
The Rogue One, referred to by many as Christ, also knew that rebellions are built on hope.

Christ’s rebellion of hope drew others to the mission, despite daunting odds. First one, then two, then twelve. Later hundreds, thousands, millions, and billions. When you offer light, when all anyone else deals in is darkness, word quickly gets around.

Christ’s rebellion of hope met people in their place of need. Wherever that may be. The hungry were fed, the sick healed, the marginalized embraced.

Christ’s rebellion of hope centered on the forgiveness of sin. No more were we to judge others, or ourselves. Our culture of domination and threats and oppression could now be replaced with one of faith, and hope, and love.

Christ’s rebellion of hope got noticed by the empires of his time. It could not have been any other way. His ways were a threat to the powers that be. Something had to give.

Christ’s rebellion of hope carried him toward the most ominous sign of death that ever there was, a cross of crucifixion.

For a mere mortal that would have been the end.

But for the leader of a divine rebellion?

One built on hope?

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Luke 24
The Easter text opens on the first day, at early dawn. When news of Christ’s successful rebellion, over sin and death and the grave, first got out, it was still quite dark.

It’s always darkest before the dawn.

But watch out world, here comes the light.

The group of women going to the grave had a simple goal, to prepare a body for burial. But when they arrived, much to their surprise, the stone had been rolled away. The tomb was empty.

The angels they met enlightened them. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? Don’t you remember,“ the angels said, “that Jesus told you he must be handed over, must be crucified, and on the third day would rise again.”

The women then remembered.
The women then went.
The women then shared this good news with others.

It was then, for the first time, The Rogue One’s plan, to save the world, was fully understood.

It was then, for the first time, The Rogue One’s plan, to save humanity, was transmitted, person by person by person, to the rest of the globe.

Star Wars Redux
Getting back to Star Wars, just a bit, there’s this great scene, right at the end of Rogue One, where Darth Vader cuts through dozens and dozens of members of the rebel alliance, trying to retrieve the stolen plans.

It’s great because we know this character Darth from so many films that follow.
It’s great because we see him at the height of his power.
It’s great because we know what’s at stake in this classic battle of good and evil.

But mostly it’s great because we, the modern viewer, already know how it ends.

As a rebel alliance commander hands over the transmission to Princess Leah, he asks, “What is it they’ve sent us?” Leah smiles and responds with but one word:

Hope.

The closing credits then roll.

Today
The world of 2019 isn’t that different than it was two millennia ago. Our empires of today are perhaps a bit more nuanced, taking the form of governments, and corporations, sometimes religious institutions too.

Similar to the Death Star, some of our empires have enough power to destroy an entire planet, with their tanks, and their bombs, and their bombs, and their guns.

Other earthly empires have the power to draw resources meant for all of God’s children, and instead put them in the hands of only a select few.

Let me give you a brief, biblical analysis of this current reality.

That. Ain’t. Right.

And when those worldly empires look to sink their teeth into you, and they will, let me encourage you, people of God, to do something.

Rebel.

Rebel against our inherent fallen nature that pushes us away from each other.

Rebel against empires that tell us the only person we should worship is ourselves.

Rebel by focusing your sights on the leader of this timeless, grand rebellion.

He is The Rogue One. He is the Christ.

And then Remember.

Remember the odds, for God’s mission to the world, seemed insurmountable.

Remember Christ pressed on, through his life, and death, and resurrection.

But mostly? Remember this:

When this world is at its darkest hour, simply lift your head to the heavens.

And then ask your Creator a question.
“What is it you’ve sent us?”

God then smiles, and responds with but one word:

Hope.

A Good Friday funeral homily.

We gather to reflect on the life of Jesus.  To some he is Son, to others Brother, to many Friend.  He is known by so many names, including Emmanuel, Teacher, Lamb of God, King of the Jews, Light of the World, Son of God.

Many of us refer to him as simply Christ.

And no matter how we relate to and know Jesus, for those gathered today, we share this in common:  For each of us, he was loved.

We gather to remember.  We remember a conception; how Jesus came to be was arguably downright immaculate.  We remember a baby, born in a Bethlehem barn, yet visited by kings.  We remember a boy, who wanted nothing more than to spend time in his Father’s house.  Even if it meant mom and dad thought him lost.

Perhaps most importantly we remember not just any man, but a highly accomplished one.  What Jesus did, in his final three years on earth, far outweighs anything anyone could ever do in a complete lifetime.  Or even a hundred lifetimes.

We remember a man of the people who loved to travel.  Jesus reached, by foot or by donkey, far-flung destinations like Galilee, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Jericho.  He was always seemingly on the move.  From desert temptations, to river baptisms, to seaside fishing, his ministry was never defined by one single space.

We remember the best preacher who ever was.  Sometimes he told it to you straight.  Other times he spoke in parables, a master storyteller through and through.  His earthy, elemental narratives had a way of getting your attention in unique, memorable ways.  Whether he spoke of lost sheep or lost sons, or simply the upcoming harvest, you could be sure: his stories would make you rethink just about everything.  At least everything you thought you knew about this mixed up, crazy world.

From temples to homes to mountains to hills to boats, Jesus was always ready to share the inspired Word.  Sometimes he drew crowds numbering in the thousands.  Other messages were just for a select few.  But the size of the crowd didn’t really matter. “Wherever two or more are gathered in my name I am there with them” he always liked to say.  From that we take comfort that, while gone, he is still, some how, some way, still with us right here.

We remember a man of miracles.  From feeding 5,000 to walking on water to turning water to wine it seemed there wasn’t much this man couldn’t do.  It wasn’t that Jesus liked nature.  Or even that he was one with it.  Jesus was nature itself.

We remember someone who always stood up for the underdog.  Whether it was a woman who’d been divorced five times, or a religious minority, or the poor, or a leper left for dead at the city gates, Jesus was always on the side of the oppressed.  Always.  No exceptions.  He ate with, drank with, spoke with, and healed people society said he should have nothing to do with.

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My guess?  If he’d been with us longer he would have stood up for more kinds of underdogs, more types of marginalized people, more oppressed minorities. And done so in ways we can only begin to imagine.

We remember a man unafraid to speak truth to power.   Jesus seemed really bothered when people used their influence to harm others.  He stood up to the religious elite, the political elite, and the wealthy.  And he wasn’t shy about it.  He let them know, in no uncertain terms, that oppressing God’s children was wrong.  Wrong because the kingdom Jesus spoke of stands for So. Much. More.

This one trait, speaking truth to power, is why so many were drawn to him.  This one trait, speaking truth to power, ultimately got him killed.

We gather to grieve.  We grieve for someone special; Jesus touched each of our lives in many, many ways.

We grieve a life cut short, tragically, at the age of 33.  We wish Jesus were still with us, in the flesh.

We grieve alongside his mother Mary.  A parent should never have to bury their child.  His death runs counter to all the promises the angels made Mary while pregnant.  We can’t help but question what we thought we knew him to be.

We grieve for a man many dreamed would be our next earthly king.  Those dreams are now dashed.  We’re left to ponder what life here, without him, even means.

And we grieve someone who once said, rather famously, “destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  Some of us laughed at him for this.  Many believed there was no way a massive building could be rebuilt in such short time.

But perhaps those words hold a different meaning.  And for this, we hold on to, one infinitesimally minuscule, glimmer of hope.  Amen.

To get someone’s attention give them a gift. And to get millions, or perhaps billions to take notice? Make the gift huge. Perhaps expensive. And definitely make it extravagant.

But watch out, because your motives for the gift just might be questioned.

Here’s a few eye-popping examples of epic gifts, some old, others new.

Island
In 2013 Angelina Jolie treated her beau and hubby hunk Brad Pitt to quite the gift for his 50th birthday: she bought him an island. Petra Island to be specific, a heart-shaped secluded oasis, a short 15-minute helicopter ride to New York City. What makes the gift even more amazing is what’s on the island – not one, but two houses designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The first house is a cottage. The other is the main residence dubbed by those in the know as “one of the most spectacular designs of (Frank Lloyd Wright’s) career.”

The 11-acre private island and historic homes didn’t come cheap; Angela Jolie paid a reported $12.2 million for it.

We might wonder to ourselves, couldn’t this money have been used for a better, more altruistic purpose?

Perhaps.

Tho consider this: prior to this gift hubby Brad claimed the master architect had changed his life. And when someone has changed your life, and you love that person, it’s natural you want to bring them closer to what means so much to them. Angelia had, after all, acted out of love for her man.

Next, consider this other rather famous gift from another pair of American socialites.

Rock
This big gift is actually rather small, size-wise – at least compared to an island – we’re talking about the Cartier Diamond.

When the 69-carat diamond was auctioned in 1969 it had a flurry of interest, including large bids from the likes of Aristotle Onassis, the Sultan of Brunei, and Richard Burton. Bidding started at $200,000 and quickly got much higher.

Richard Burton had a max bid of 1 Million on the diamond, and asked his lawyer to do the bidding. When he found out the jewel had sold for 50 thousand more Burton was terrified. He immediately contacted Cartier to see what could be done to buy it. After a slew of calls arrangements were made, and the diamond was his. Final cost? 1.1 Million – that’s over 7.5 Million in todays dollars. It set a record price for a publicly sold jewel.

It’s natural to want to critique this as just another example of the uber-rich only thinking of themselves. And on this surface, perhaps you’re right.

But consider this.

Burton bought the item as a gift for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor. Reflecting on this moment, in his diary, Burton wrote:

“I wanted that diamond because it is incomparably lovely. And it should be on the loveliest woman in the world.”

Burton had, after all, acted out of love for his wife.

Statue
Then there’s one of the biggest gifts in all of history, both literally and figuratively. And it arguably also centers on another one of the loveliest women in the world. This one you definitely know – we’re talking about the Statue of Liberty.

Size-wise it’s massive, the statue is 151 feet high and made of over 200,000 pounds of copper. Including the pedestal it’s mounted on the structure reaches over 300 feet high, from the ground to the tip of the torch. That’s about the length of a football field.

Designed by French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, with the metal framework built by Gustave Eiffel, it was initially conceived of in 1865. Which was right after the abolition of slavery in the US.

While many believe the statue was a gift, from one government to another, that isn’t technically correct. When given the opportunity neither the French government nor our US Congress decided to financially sponsor it.

Instead it was the people, of both countries, that made it happen. First French citizens raised the equivalent of 2.7 Million in today’s dollars for the statue. Then US citizens raised 2.3 million in today’s currency to construct the pedestal and install the lovely Lady.

This gift, too, was criticized by many at the time. Some felt it was too expensive. Others that it was too large. Or that it was simply bad art. Several cities turned Lady Liberty down not wanting her in their town.

Yet, despite all those challenges, Lady Liberty finally found a home on an island in the New York harbor. She was dedicated in 1886.

Looking back, this gift, too, was an act of love. Love from the citizens of one country, to the citizens of another. And accepting the gift reflects a shared love from our country, founded on freedom, toward another country thousands of miles away, beginning to experience new freedoms of their own.

Perfume
Today’s text in John 12 features another big, and controversial, gift.

The narrative features a story of two people and their relationship to Jesus. Mary, the faithful disciple, and Judas, also a disciple, but one we soon learn is something less than faithful.

The setting for this gift-giving was a dinner party at Lazarus’ house; his sisters Mary and Martha were also there. A chapter before, in John 11, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead.

After someone brings you back to life I suppose the least you can do is to throw a party.

And to invite the giver of life to it.

During dinner Mary brings out a valuable possession, a bottle of perfume, and anoints Jesus’ feet. But this is no normal perfume. It is made from a plant only found in the Himalayan mountains of India. Coming from such a distance it wouldn’t have been easy, or cheap, for her to acquire. Theologians suggest a pound of it was worth about a year’s worth of labor.

After someone brings your brother back to life perhaps a big gesture like this was in order. Mary, after all, loved her brother. And she loved Jesus. She wanted to show appreciation for all he’d done for their family.

Scripture tells us the house was filled with the fragrance, the scent of perfume at the party would have been impossible to miss.

Now I’m no perfume expert, so I asked my wife about this. For her, normally a squirt or two of perfume is plenty. More than that and it gets to be too much. And when it gets to four of five squirts you can really tell.

Imagine your favorite perfume, and putting on 100 or 200 squirts of it.

It must have gotten the attention of everyone there.

Greed
The disciple Judas, watching, and smelling this grand gesture chimes in, asking:

“Why wasn’t this perfume sold, with the money given to the poor?”

At first blush it’s a reasonable question. A year’s salary goes a far way in feeding, clothing, and caring for those that need it.

But Judas’ motives weren’t pure.

• This is the Judas that would soon betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver
• This is the Judas that managed the funds for Jesus’ ministry
• This is the Judas that was known to steal from those funds

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Judas had no intention of helping the poor. Instead his motives were to line his own pockets.

Jesus then responds, defending Mary, telling Judas to leave her alone.

This perfume foreshadows Jesus’ upcoming death. In no small way it helps prepare him for it.

Christ ends this passage by saying “you always have the poor with you. But you do not always have me.” Incredibly, this verse at times has been used to imply nothing should be done for the poor.

Connections
It’s worth noting that the Old Testament text Jesus references here, from Deuteronomy 15:11, speaks to this more clearly.

“Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you: Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.”

This passage is reminiscent of the greatest commandment, which has two parts. First, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and soul, and mind. And secondly, to love your neighbor as yourself.

It is out of a selfless love, for her God, who was in that moment also her neighbor, that Mary gifted perfume to her savior.

It is out of a selfish desire, for more, that Judas greedily chose to critique her gift.

Callbacks
In these two archetypes, of Mary, and Judas, today’s text asks much of us.

As Lutherans, we of the saint and sinner variety, with the knowledge that we have both the capacity for good and evil, it is we who understand well that we all have Mary and Judas tendencies baked right into us.

It is the Judas qualities we harbor that cause us to judge others for their lavish gifts.

And when that happens we forget some important details.

We forget that Angelina Jolie is a well-known philanthropist. She consistently funds the care of refugees from over 20 war-torn countries across the globe. In 2006 alone she gave 8 million of her own money that helps many, many others.

And we forget that when Elizabeth Taylor later sold her famous diamond she gave much of the proceeds away, to an African medical charity.

And hopefully we don’t forget the lasting legacy of the statue of Liberty. Despite the historic critiques of it. Let us not forget this statue contains a broken chain at the feet of Lady Liberty as she walks forward. It is a symbol of freedom that we readily embrace.

And let us not forget the more than 12 million immigrants, who entered the US through Ellis Island from 1892 to 1954. As they entered they saw, for the first time, the Statue of Liberty, welcoming them home.

Close
The most lavish of gifts, like what Mary gave to Jesus, are not given with our own self-interests in mind.

Instead they are given from a place of love. Not for us. But for others.

And it is this love, for the whole world, that Jesus models through his life, death and resurrection. It is this love, for the whole world, that culminates with our Easter celebration.

While we each have the broken nature of Judas in us, let us aspire, instead, to be like Mary. Who gave lavishly, out of love, to her savior. A savior that gives lavishly, out of love, to the world.

A savior that beckons us to give lavishly, out of love, to our neighbors, whomever those neighbors may me.  Amen.