The Cosmic Battle Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (Ephesians 6:10-11) Monday, Third Week of Easter Almighty God, Who through the death of Your Son has brought to nothing sin and death, and through His resurrection has brought again innocence and eternal life, so that, delivered from the devil’s power, we may live in Your kingdom: Grant us that we may believe this with our whole heart and steadfast in this faith, always praise and thank You; through Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (Martin Luther, 1483-1546) Dear friends, Today is Star Wars Day. No, really. It’s official…at least it is in the State of California as of April 22, 2019. Why? All you need to do is look at the date and say to someone, “May the 4th be with you!” and you get the idea. For those who might not be up to speed on George Lucas’s Star Wars movies, just know that Star Wars is about a cosmic battle being fought between the good side (Luke Skywalker and the Jedi) and the dark side (Darth Vader and the Sith Lords). The Force is a mysterious energy field created by life that binds the galaxy together. Harnessing the power of the Force gives the Jedi, the Sith, and others sensitive to this spiritual energy extraordinary abilities, such as levitating objects, tricking minds, and seeing things before they happen. A common phrase before engaging in battle…”May the Force be with you!” What I find even more fascinating is how fantasy often follows real life. No, there is no real Force in the world that works like it does in Star Wars movies. Yet there is a cosmic battle being fought in the universe. There is the good side (The Triune God and his angelic forces, along with all who are in allegiance to the Kingdom of Light), and the dark side (Satan and his angelic forces, along with all who are held captive in the Kingdom of Darkness). Unlike the way it works in Star Wars movies, Good and Evil are not equally balanced. In the real world, our Good God, is all powerful. He has conquered sin, death, and the power of Satan when His Son Jesus died and rose again. God’s mission: He wants to save every person under the captivity of the dark lord, and bring them into his glorious Kingdom of Light. What’s at stake? The lives of many people who are currently held captive. God has set a date when the dark lord and his angels will be destroyed for all eternity, and everything will be set right in the universe once again. But right now, we are at war. Thankfully, the Mighty God gives us spiritual armor to defend us from the attacks of our enemies. He provides defensive equipment to protect us, such as truth, righteousness, the good news of peace, faith, salvation, and his Holy Spirit. He also gives us weapons to fight with such as the Word of God, the Gospel, and prayer. (Read all about it in Ephesians 6:10-20). I hope you will join the resistance. For those of you who already are a part of God’s kingdom, take courage. The battle has been won! What we see around us is temporary, eternity is yours already in Christ Jesus. Stay the course! Abandon sin and every temptation! Fight the good fight! And may the LORD (not the Force) be with you! Rejoicing in Christ’s victory!
Pastor Langdon Reinke P.S. Hope you and your family are healthy and safe. We are in this together. We have help available if there are needs. Please let us know. P.P.S. I admit, I am a bit of a Star Wars fan (though not of its theology). The above picture was taken this summer when we took our former foster kids and their mom to Disney Land and toured the new Star Wars section. | 
