It's 5pm on Friday and I'm finishing up the day on my computer at home. I'm doing this with the sounds of Lego Star Wars echoing through my basement. My son is guiding Darth Vader through the various levels of his favorite game. Two years ago I dressed up as Darth Vader and delivered his 4 year old Star Wars cake to his birthday party. Not long after, we were looking through my old pictures and found a snapshot from my four year old party in 1979. I was wearing a Star Wars shirt and blowing out candles atop a R2D2 cake. Imagine that.
This is a familiar story for our generation. The love for "the Force" that is passed on (genetically?) from father to son. "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" is recognizable to young and old in America and beyond. When I passed on some of my old figures that I had saved - including the iconic Bobba Fett - my son was in awe. The awesomeness of Star Wars began in the 70's, elevated through the cheese of the 80's, was re-imagined at the end of the 90's, survived Jar Jar Binks at the turn of the century, and has cemented it's place in every toy aisle and video game store for the foreseeable future.
The vision of George Lucas for this amazing story is well chronicled and a great story within itself. United Artist and Universal Studios passed on the script (I wonder how much cooler Universal Studios would be if they hadn't!). Harrison Ford thought "A New Hope" was weird and that the lines in the script were...uh..."crap" that you could only type, not speak. An early private screening of the first installment with Director friends like De Palma, Milius and Spielberg produced only one positive review (Spielberg). The process for getting A New Hope to the screen was a stressful one for Lucas including a diagnosis of Hypertension, budget battles with 20th Century Fox and with last minute edits, including Obi-Wan's death (since he wasn't needed in the next two films).
Lucas and his producers didn't know what to expect on opening day. Producer Gary Kurtz was doing a radio call-in show when, to Kurtz's surprise, one of the callers raved in detail about the movie. The caller finally admitted, "I have already seen the movie four times." Lucas spent most of opening day in a sound studio and only realized it's fast start after being hit up for autographs at lunch time. Years later and billions of dollars later, Star Wars is recognizable on every continent and most countries. The logo is on toys, clothing, televisions, video games and much more. Despite it's humble beginnings, the vision of creating an epic story surrounding the journey of a lone jedi and his lost father would not only hit the screens, but also transform a generation and impact many more to come.
This had me thinking about the epic story found in the Gospel and the legacy of Jesus Christ. Over 2,000 years ago, God sent his Son to Earth, to the little town of Bethlehem, to walk among us, to teach us and to later die for all of us. More people misunderstood Him than embraced Him. He wasn't anything what people were expecting from a Messiah. The religious institutions hated Christ and were determined to kill Him. His ministry was only chronicled by a handful of disciples and yet years later, the life changing message of hope and grace was spreading like wildfire. The life saving vision of God through the life, death and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ could not be contained.
Today, the legacy of Christ can be found in the slums of Calcutta, in mega churches in Seoul, Korea, in Cathedrals in Rome, in rural churches in Indiana and even in the jungles of South America. The teachings of Christ, although sometimes abused and used for greed, are still adored and embraced by billions around the world. The stories about Jesus that my Great-Grandfather shared with my Grandfather are the same I share with my son at the dinner table, in the car and before bedtime. The Christmas story has been shared from father to son and mother to daughter more than any other story. Passed on from generation to generation, the legacy of Christ will continue to transform lives until the very end. And the kicker? The end, with Christ, is not the end. It doesn't end with Vader saying "Nooooooo" (or with Rebels dancing at Endor for those who pretend the last three don't exist). What makes the legacy of the Gospel so special is that it includes this life and the next. Now, I'm not sure what to expect when the next life comes, but I am confident - because of Christ - that the awesomeness of it will far exceed that of Star Wars. And I'm very thankful for that.
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