It’s been one year since Star Wars: The Force Awakens was
revealed in theaters after much anticipation about how the saga from a galaxy
far, far away would carry on. Historic
characters were brought back and new characters were introduced. Fans speculated as new trailers and
information was released or “leaked” throughout 2015 prior to the movie’s
release.
There has always been one moment that has stuck out to me
from the movie. It was actually
introduced during one of the trailers.
Han Solo is discussing with Finn and Rey the status of Luke Skywalker
and speculating why he disappeared-
Finn:
Do you know what happened to him?
Han
Solo: A lot of rumors. Stories. People that knew him best think he went
looking for the first Jedi temple.
Rey:
The Jedi were real?
Han
Solo: I used to wonder about that myself. Thought it was a bunch of
mumbo-jumbo. A magical power holding together good and evil, the dark side and
the light. Crazy thing is... it's true. The Force. The Jedi... All of it...
It's all true. 1
Han’s response to Rey’s question about whether or not the
Jedi were real has always stuck with me.
It reminds me of my own personal journey as a Christian and the
significance of celebrating Christmas.
Now I can’t say that I ever considered the account of Jesus’ birth a
bunch of “mumbo-jumbo,” but for much of my life, it was not the centerpiece of
why I celebrated Christmas. It was more
like a tradition that was remembered and simply went along with the other
things I would do every year such as listening to Christmas music, watching
Christmas movies, buying and receiving presents, and visiting with family
members in hot, crammed spaces. It didn’t
really rank any higher to me than these things.
My perspective began to change on Christmas Day of
2003. What made this Christmas very
different from years past was my mom being in a nursing home on her 48th
birthday. The cancer that she had
bravely fought for the past year had come back and the doctors had told her and
my dad that there was really nothing more they could do. It was only a matter of time before she would
leave this earth. My family decided that
day that we would spend the morning at home together and then spend the rest of
the day with my mom. When we arrived at
the nursing home in the afternoon, we walked into her room and immediately
noticed something was terribly wrong. An
emergency 911 call was made and mom was rushed to the hospital. Within hours, she would be gone. I was in shock, to say the least. While I knew that barring a miraculous
healing, mom was going to die, the reality of it hit me hard. And the fact that it happened on Christmas,
the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth, just didn’t seem fair. Now it was also the day that I would always
remember as when my mom was born and when she died.
For several years, Christmas became more like any other
holiday. I was more excited about being
off work for an extended period and having a good time rather than reflecting
on the importance of this observance.
So what changed? In
late 2006, I met Kimberly, whom I’ve now been married to for almost 9
years. She helped me with
re-establishing my relationship with God.
We found a church that was exactly what we were looking for and
more. This is where I met Chad Gross and
was introduced to the world of apologetics, something I desperately
needed. I had many questions about my
faith and didn’t really think that I should ask them or I assumed they couldn’t
be answered. Man, was I wrong! And I am so thankful for that! What I slowly began to realize was
Christianity is much more than a tradition.
It’s true, all of it! In Star
Wars Episode VII, Han’s statement I quoted earlier was the result of his “eyewitness
accounts” of Jedi, Sith Lords, etc. The
New Testament, particularly the Gospels, are eyewitness testimonies of those
who witness the historical events surrounding the life of Jesus Christ. Their accounts and the sacrifices they made
to share it with as many people as possible, is one of the many pieces of
evidence that gives me reasonable confidence in what I believe.
My life as a Christ follower is not based on tradition, but
is instead grounded in truth!
May the Lord be with you!
The Other Chad
May the Lord be with you!
The Other Chad
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