Recently, our family went to see the new Star Wars movie, Solo. While it has received
mixed reviews, we all enjoyed it thoroughly.
I think for me, it had to do with director Ron Howard’s nod to the
nostalgic revisiting of a beloved character.
Han Solo first came alive for me as a child and the bravado that he
characterized captured not only my interest but that of the country. His second big screen appearance (I’m not
counting the Christmas special) in The
Empire Strikes Back only added to his popularity. One of my favorite lines in this movie was
when they were trying to escape from the Empire in their starship, the Millennium
Falcon. They were frantically working on
their engines when they get hit by a large thump. They find out that they are entering an asteroid
belt. Instead of flying away from it,
Han Solo flies directly into it, declaring, “They would be crazy to follow us!” At this point, the android C-3PO tells Solo that
the odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field are 3,720 to 1 to which
he replies, “Never tell me the odds!”
What he means is that he has already made up his mind to do
it and doesn’t want any negativity ruining his confidence in his ability to
succeed!
In this week’s scripture reading, we have this wonderful
story that predates Star Wars by
about three millennia. David and Goliath
have transcended the Bible and are a part of our culture. To be a substantial underdog in a sports
contest is often referred to as a David versus Goliath matchup. We talk about defeating our Goliaths in
reference to any large problem we may be facing.
As we re-read the story, we see that David had a certain
amount of confidence of his own! He
recounts his own prowess in dispatching lions and bears (oh, my!). He refers to Goliath as an “uncircumcised
Philistine” showing his disdain for the foreigner rather than respect for his
size and ability. And then, like any
good hero, he follows through on his promises.
This Sunday, we will revisit this old, old story. We will see how it continues to live on for
us today and how our confidence in taking on problems should have a little
bravado in it. I hope you’ll join us for
worship and if you can’t make it in person, join us for our livestream or catch
it later on the archives!
In Christ,
Sam
Photo of "Han Solo" is a copyrighted promotional image used under the Fair Use license.
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