CHIP K of thebandwithnoname continues his unflinching look at that centrepoint of Christianity, the cross.

Chip Kendall

I admit it. I've become a true Star Wars geek. Over the past six days, I've witnessed all six episodes of the George Lucas saga, culminating in a special midnight screening of Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith, just last night. Wow. What a climax to my truly unforgettable sabre-swinging, droid-dancing, alien-arguing DeathStar-destroying Jedi adventure. Little Anakin Skywalker finally grows up to be Darth Vader, and not without a few very disturbing dreams and premonitions along the way. But you didn't have to be a Star Wars geek (like me) to see that one coming. After all, his fate was already sealed back in the 1970s when the first Star Wars film ever graced our screens, and if you look closely, there's a scene in Episode Two where Anakin's shadow strangely resembles a certain caped Sith lord with a rather large black helmet. Hmmm. The force is strong with this one.

Have you ever wondered if Jesus, like Anakin, had dreams or premonitions of his own destiny - the cross? He must have known it was coming, because he tells his friends all about it long before Judas even puckered up for that infamous kiss. He spends hours praying alone in a dark garden, sweating drops of blood in anguished anticipation of the inevitable. And still, he goes through with it, undaunted by the consequences of someone else's actions. Take a few seconds to read this, and try to imagine yourself in his place.

Jesus is handed the unleavened bread. As he lifts it up in order to offer the traditional blessing, one of his disciples cracks a joke and everyone begins to laugh. Jesus is about to smile himself, but as he closes his eyes, everything suddenly changes. The sound of laughter is instead coming from a mocking crowd, shouting insults and hurling abuse at him. He quickly opens his eyes and everything instantly returns to normal. But as he breaks the bread in two, the strange sensation returns. For a split second, the broken bread becomes two handfuls of human flesh, torn apart by a slicing whip. Again, it only lasts for a brief moment and Jesus begins to pass the bread around. With a quivering voice, he gently insists, "This is my body." Several minutes pass, and it is now time to drink from the traditional cup of wine. But as Jesus slowly reaches for the cup, someone else manages to knock it over on the table, spilling out a liquid too thick to be wine. The pungent stench of blood fills his nostrils, before once again everything returns to normal. Somehow, time rolls backward and this time he manages to catch the cup before any of the wine spills out. The quivering voice becomes a barely audible whisper, "This is my blood."

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2