“They were destroyed at Endor, they became like dung upon the ground.”

The city of Endor only appears three times in the bible. Saul approaches ‘the witch of Endor’ to approach Samuel’s spirit, (1 Samuel 18:27); it lists Endor as a city within the territory of Issachar that was assigned to the tribe of Manasseh, (Joshua 17:11); and in today’s Psalm. But can we have some fun for a minute, even though we’re in Lent? Endor is from Star Wars! The final battle takes place on the moon of Endor; the Ewoks and the Rebel Alliance infiltrate and ultimately destroy the shield that covers the death star. So, following that logic, without Endor’s small battle, the rebels would never have toppled the empire.

And let’s be honest: it’s an unknown moon in the middle of nowhere that isn’t mentioned in any of the other movies. A blip that turns into a pivotal place in the grand story of the greatest story of all-time. Yep. I said it. Star Wars rules.

But back to theology…

A long, long time ago in a land far away, the city of Endor acted as a place where evil occurs that must be overcome. The evil that is Saul (at this point) in his empire (his new kingdom) is attempting to crush the rebellion (David). We don’t know much about Endor, but we know that Manasseh was a bad king, evil incarnate. We know that he and his regime needed to be eradicated. We know that Saul finds a witch there; Leviticus tells us to kill witches (Salem, you’re not forgiven). All this is to say that Endor is a virtual unknown—yet plays a role in the saga of both David and the downfall of Judah.

So, if we didn’t know about Endor, about what Psalm 80 is talking about, then what else are we missing? How much attention are we paying to the locations and situations they bring to the table instead of skipping over them and sticking with the ‘main story’? Lent teaches us to introspect, to seek out the parts of our faith that further us from God and lessen the gap in relationship. Isn’t scripture one of those places where we can take a deep look and search for holes in understanding? It seems to me that we could benefit greatly from a deeper knowledge of God’s Word (Jesus) and God’s word (scripture). What else do we miss?

If we’re not active in our pursuit of biblical literacy, then we have no right to argue the tenets of faith. If we don’t know it, we can’t speak on it. Faith alone is supported by grace; grace leads to salvation through Jesus Christ. That is enough. Yet my soul yearns for more. I want to level up in discipleship, to destroy the death stars in my heart through taking down the shields of distraction, evil, and misunderstanding. It’s going to take me diving into the unknown, the Endors of scripture, to gain that level. I hope you will, too. Google things you don’t understand. Ask your clergy. Read every word and take your time in the readings. The bible isn’t going anywhere, and it is unchanging. We have time. Take that time. Take on the practice of better understanding. Stand up to the empire, rebel against the distractions this world offers and concentrate on the word God breathes into you. I will attempt to do the same.

Faithfully,

Fr. Sean+