by President Sung Jin Lim
Book Review
When all four stages appear in a text or sermon and arranged in the order given above, the
effect is comedic (not to be confused with humorous). The outcome is a happy one.
Episodes four through six of the Star Wars sagas constitute a comedy. When we first meet Luke
Skywalker in episode four, he is a dreamer, misinformed about his father’s identity, and
seemingly destined to be a poor farmer like his uncle Owen. As moviegoers we sense in his
hopelessness traces of our own. All those changes when Luke meets Ben and learns more, not
all, of the truth about who he is and the potential he possesses. Luke’s full realization of his true
self does not come until episode five. Somehow, his discovery then causes us to rethink our
own worth and prospects. Finally, when episode six begins, Luke is in fullon Jedi knight mode.
He knows his destiny. He has been transformed, and his father will be too before the credits roll!
Gospel preaching is comedic by nature. It begins by exposing the lies we hold dear. The very
first and biggest one being what the serpent told Eve, that is, obeying God is not in our best
interest.
Once a lie is exposed by examining what disobedience has wrought in the protagonist’s and
audience’s lives, the truth has a greater chance to be heard. If it is heard, and with the aid of the
Holy Spirit, the hearer will realize, like the protagonist, that the previously held belief was wrong.
Following that, the possibility of transformation is opened.
Most Christian preaching will be comedic. It proclaims Jesus as the truth and looks to a future
when all things set wrong in Eden will be set right in the end. If one accepts this message, life
takes on a different hue. It appears more comedic than tragic.
