Connected In Story: Chapter Four

In which we connect with something bigger than ourselves…

If you’ve known me in any capacity for longer than 5 minutes, you have probably heard a nerd reference. It is a big thing in my family. My kids and I obsess over nearly every big fandom that exists. We are especially fond of Star Wars. We have cosplays and figures and artwork and SO many books and comics (SO. VERY. MANY.)

My youngest son has been obsessed with the fight between good and evil since he was old enough to make sound effects while playing with his toys. My oldest loves the character arcs and minute trivia facts. They both love the musical scores. They both own multiple lightsabers and know their favorite character’s fighting style. I even own my own lightsaber. But what I love most of all about Star Wars is the epic scale and the stories of struggle and redemption.

And of course, I have my favorite characters. I am an original trilogy girl. It’s what I grew up with as a child of the 70’s. I adored Carrie Fisher and her portrayal of Leia Organa, and I loved her even more as a woman who knew that her voice mattered and as an outspoken advocate for mental health.

Confession time though: I have, for as long as I can remember, had a huge celebrity crush on Harrison Ford. Amazing actor. Superbly handsome. And that roguish smile.

As much as I admire Leia as a self-rescuing princess, I really relate to the character arc of Han Solo in the original trilogy (I shall not speak of the sequels & the way they messed up my favorite characters, although the visuals are cool and I like Rey and Ren. I have spoken.)

For all you non-Star Wars fans, Harrison Ford played Han Solo in the movies. And also… what has kept you from watching this cultural phenomenon? Go watch the original trilogy! Better yet, call me and we can watch it together!

So why do I love Han Solo? He appeared in A New Hope as a pilot and a smuggler who only cared about the money he made. He was a scoundrel and a scruffy looking nerf herder, according to Leia, who was a leader in the Rebellion. Han fought beside Luke, and then Leia as they escaped from the clutches of Darth Vader. The Galactic Empire wanted control and power. They also desperately wanted to silence the voice of the Rebellion.

But those in the Rebel Alliance believed in freedom for the galaxy. They believed every voice mattered and every being was worth fighting for. They also believed in the value of every person in the fight for freedom.

Even after connecting in a powerful way during their mission, Han Solo collected the money for the job he completed, and decided to go back to his life as a smuggler. It felt like a betrayal to the comraderie Luke, Leia and Han had developed. It felt like a betrayal to this girl who had been crushing on Han Solo and hoping he would do the brave and right thing.

However, at the crux of the battle, when it looked like the Empire would win, Han swooped in and gave Luke the backup he needed to destroy the Death Star. Han changed his course and decided that he would commit to the cause of the Rebellion. Because Han decided to fight for something bigger than himself, the battle was won. And even though the Empire struck back (see what I did there😉), the trio fought together for something bigger, for something that mattered.

Leia later said about Han:

Over and over, he fought and risked his life and sacrificed and personally saved the entire Alliance more than once. He stayed because even if he couldn’t admit it, he believes in this cause. Han Solo is a smuggler because he likes it, but he’s a rebel because he’s Han Solo. And Han Solo complains and jokes and is generally half-useless… but he doesn’t leave. That’s inspiring. He matters. To the Rebellion…and to me.

This is what I want to do too. I want to be one that stays in the fight and stands up for the voices that are largely unheard. The Black community. People of color. The LGBTQ community. The transgender community. The deaf and hard of hearing. The survivors of abuse. The children who are hungry for physical and emotional nourishment. It matters that we listen to their voices and their stories. It matters that we recognize them as humans who have the image of God wrapped inside them.

I’ve said it before during this series, but I think about Kate Bowler’s statement nearly every day. “Lent is the perfect time to tell the truth about the way things really are.”

Let’s be truthful together, right here. We live in a world that ranks people into a hierarchy. We live in a society that ignores the oppressed and considers them a nuisance. We are a people who claim to follow God, but we don’t hear the cries of the needy and the lonely and the outsiders. We silence their voices when we don’t listen to their stories.

I have been guilty in so many ways of not paying attention to the stories of people who are not like me. But I am learning to listen. Because if I am not willing to hear their stories, I cannot love them the way Jesus does. When Jesus summed up the most important things we are to do as his followers, he said, “love God and love others.” There were no exclusions on the “love others” part. And I believe that begins with hearing their stories.

There is something about the power of rebellion. It matters that someone is willing to stand in the gap and listen to the oppressed and the ones that we so easily dismiss and classify as “other.’. It matters that, even if we think we are “half-useless,” that we choose to stay. We choose to rebel.

In the novelization of Revenge of the Sith: Star Wars: Episode III, the author, Matthew Stover says this:

The dark is generous, and it is patient, and it always wins - but in the heart of its strength lies weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back.

Love is more than a candle.

Love can ignite the stars.