May the Force Be With You . . . and With Your Spirit
Alicia Reese
May 4, 2021
I’m not sure how many Star Wars fans will be reading this, but for anyone who may not be aware, today, May 4th is known as “Star Wars Day.” For which, the appropriate greeting is, “May the fourth be with you!” It's a fun play on the infamous line from the films, “May the force be with you.” For those of us in the church world, it comes naturally, automatically, to want to respond to this greeting with “and also with you” or “and with your spirit.” I personally love when my religious, spiritual life collides with my fangirl world.
A couple of years ago, our Quest confirmation class took to the idea of God in the Holy Spirit being like The Force—a power in, between, throughout all things, connecting all life, moving, stirring, working—unable to be seen or touched, but evidence of it all around. A lovely parallel between fiction and faith, don’t you think? It is this parallel that has caused me to find deeper meaning within the line, “may the force be with you,” that I find especially comforting now, because for more than a year, we have been navigating an uncertain and unprecedented way of life. I say navigating, but most days it feels like trudging, slogging, barely making it through. It has been a year of doing what we can to survive, not so much thriving. This is the case, even for those who feel they have been extremely fortunate given the circumstances of the pandemic. Ultimately, we are all exhausted: physically, mentally, emotionally.
When I say, “may the force be with you,” what I mean to convey is this:
May you know God’s eternal presence.
May you be filled with resilience,
May God’s love for you give you strength.
May you feel energized with the power of the Holy Spirit.
You are a beloved child of God, a force to be reckoned with because you are connected to all of creation.
So on days when you feel weary, you lack motivation, or it feels like you are trudging through molasses in winter, look in a mirror and say out loud, “The force is strong with me!” and if there is someone in your life who you think is struggling, with new found meaning, you can say to them, “May the force be with you!” Hopefully they will respond, “And also with you.”
We have come a long way. We continue to grieve and struggle, and there is still quite a way to go. To strengthen our resolve, we need such reminders that we are not alone, sometimes we need to be told by someone else that we can do it, we need love, support, and grace abundant to see us through.
I know, but may you know that the force is with you, and with your spirit, always. Amen.
