A Confession

Photo by Maurice Nguyen on Unsplash

I have a confession. I truly hope this doesn’t change your opinion of me (assuming you have an opinion). But, it is an important confession.

Here goes

I’m gonna say it

(all subscriber access open Saturday, July 26)

I prefer Star Trek to Star Wars.

Whew, glad I got that out in the open.

Now I can explain.

You see, Gene Roddenberry imagined a world much different than the one we currently inhabit within his Star Trek universe. George Lucas imagined a mirror of reality with cool ships, and light sabers. But, we already experience the Star Wars universe where power and resources are held by a few. I want to live in Roddenberry’s world. I want to live in a galaxy in which a plurality of species have abandoned the myth of scarcity. A world in which we all pursue our passions without concern for healthcare, food, housing, or any basic needs.

Roddenberry’s dream is attainable if we reject the systems and structures that lie to us and claim that things are scarce. Wars could cease if we quit believing that flourishing is so rare that we must keep others from flourishing so we can flourish. Of course, we make it seem unattainable. Jeorg Reiger claims that it is easier for us to imagine the end of the world. But I can’t help thinking that we’ve forgotten something as the Church.

New creation is a reality in the here and now. It is not a future state, but a growing and emerging reality blossoming from the cross to our present day. But old creation and the myth of scarcity cloud our vision. Things get so cloudy that we cannot see the reality of Jesus' example of praying for the kingdom to come now. New creation recognizes the falsity of national boundaries and economic structures that hold us captive. New creation calls us to flourish as we create with God in an endless improvisation of beautiful music of wellbeing.

Maybe it’s time that we start living as new creation people. That we drop our hold on scarcity and embrace the way of Jesus leading to becoming more human. God is a God of abundance, not scarcity. Grace and mercy flow freely from the heart of God. We are not bound by old creation unless we choose to live there. Let’s be bold and walk in new creation, showing our fellow human beings that there is a better way.

Let’s find our way to Gene Roddenberry’s imagined better world.