Easter 3C - 2025
Sermon for The Third Sunday of Easter, Year C
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
The Rev. Andrew McLarty
A Blind Monk and a Broken Disciple
May the Force be with You (And also with you)
(music)
Good morning, St. Paul’s. Today, on May the 4th, I want to talk about a blind monk and a broken disciple. I want to talk about about faith—the kind that persists even in failure, the kind of faith that believes in restoration even when we’ve fallen short. And to do that, I’m going to take us on a journey from the shores of a Galilee far, far away.
In our Gospel today, we meet Peter, a disciple who could see but whose faith went blind in the darkness of fear. He denied Jesus three times. Yet after the Resurrection, Jesus doesn’t discard him. Instead, He restores him three times with a question: “Do you love me?”
In the 2017 Star Wars movie, Rogue One, there’s a character named Chirrut Îmwe—a blind warrior-monk who isn’t a Jedi but has unshakable faith in the Force, that fictional energy field created by "all living things that binds the galaxy together." Unlike the traditional line from the other movies "May the Force be with you"—a hopeful blessing—Chirrut’s mantra: “I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me.” is a declaration. He doesn’t ask for the Force’s presence; he knows it’s already there. The Force isn’t a distant power; it’s part of him, and he is part of it. He's not a "space wizard with a light sword"—he can’t move objects with his mind or wield a lightsaber, but he trusts the Force to guide, even into battle.
Both stories—Chirrut’s faith and Peter’s redemption—show us the same truth: God meets us in our failures and calls us back into relationship.
Imbalance: When We Fall (Like Peter, Like Anakin)
Peter’s story is one of dramatic failure. In John 18, as Jesus is arrested, Peter (the one who swore he’d die for Jesus) denies knowing him three times. The rooster crows. Peter weeps. The disciple is broken.
This is what imbalance looks like—in Star Wars terms, it’s the moment Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader. It’s the rupture of a relationship, the triumph of fear over love. Peter’s denials aren’t just a personal failure; they’re a cosmic unravelling of his calling and his love for Jesus.
Where in your life have you felt this imbalance?
- Have you ever failed someone you love?
- Have you ever denied your faith—not with words, but with silence, with compromise?
- Have you ever felt like your mistakes have disqualified you from God’s purpose?
Peter did. But the story doesn’t end there.
**Restoration: The Threefold Gift of Grace
After the Resurrection, Jesus appears to the disciples by the Sea of Galilee. And He doesn’t ignore Peter’s failure—He addresses it directly. Three times Peter denied Jesus; three times Jesus asks, “Do you love me?”
This isn’t punishment. It’s healing. Each time Peter answers “Yes, Lord, you know I love you,” Jesus reinstates him: “Feed my lambs… Tend my sheep… Feed my sheep.”
This is how grace works:
- It doesn’t pretend our failures never happened.
- It redeems them, turning our worst moments into the soil for new growth.
- It is a return to balance.
In Star Wars, balance works the same. The Light Side and Dark Side of the Force are meant to be in balance. Darth Vader/Anakin is redeemed through Luke’s love. Peter is restored through Jesus’ mercy.
“I Am One With the Force” – Chirrut’s Lesson for Us
This is where Chirrut Îmwe speaks to us. He’s not a Jedi, but he believes—so deeply that the Force guides his steps. His faith isn’t in his own power but in the presence of something greater.
As Christians, we don’t say, “I am one with the Force.” But we do proclaim:
- “I am one with Christ, and Christ is with me.”
- “Nothing can separate us from the love of God.” (Romans 8:39)
- “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Even the darkness is not dark to You.” (Psalm 139)
Chirrut’s faith reminds us:
- God is with us especially when we can’t see the way forward.
- Our failures don’t define us—God’s grace does.
The Call to Come Home
Peter’s story ends not with denial but with commissioning. Jesus doesn’t just forgive him—He reinstates him, sending him out to feed His sheep.
So here’s the good news for us today:
- Your failures are not final. Like Peter, you are redeemable.
- Your faith is not about your power but God’s presence. Like Chirrut, you can trust the One who holds all things together.
- You are called—not because you’re perfect, but because you’re loved.
The Force reminds me that God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is present in the world yet not of the world. We see God the Father when the rain washes our faces and fields, we see God the Son when we go to church, and we see God the Holy Spirit reflected in the beauty of the mundane and extraordinary. Chirrut’s mantra echoes a profound truth: "I am one with God, and God is with me." On our best days, our worst days, and even on our ordinary middle days.—God is with us.
So, may the Force be with you. (And also with you.)
Amen.
