My sermon is not going to be anything like the movie with the same title. It is different in two very distinct ways.

I am not going to be talking about Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Yoda, nor R2D2. Rather, I am going to be speaking about a real empire, the Kingdom of God, and the real Emperor, whose name is Jesus.

Furthermore, in the movie “The Empire Strikes Back” the hero, Han Solo, is left carbon-frozen in need of being rescued. But when this empire strikes back, the world will have struck out, and the hero will be in no need of rescue.

The next time Jesus comes, which will be the last time He will come, He will not come to a cradle, He will come to a crown. He will not die on a tree, He will sit on a throne. He will not stand before Pilate, Pilate …