May the 4th Be With You: Rising Together Against Empire

Every May 4th, fans across the galaxy celebrate Star Wars — but this isn't just about lightsabers and epic space battles. At its core, Star Wars is a story about resistance. It’s about ordinary beings choosing to rise up against a brutal Empire, refusing to let fear, apathy, or despair win. Today, let's remember the spiritual heart of the Rebellion — and what it can teach us in our own time.

Let us celebrate the message within Star Wars — a saga not only of battles and planets, but of people who commit to doing what’s right when the outcome is uncertain. These stories are filled with reminders that even in the bleakest moments, we are still called to the work: to resist empire, to protect what we love, and to hold fast to one another.

✨ “Rebellions are built on hope.” – Jyn Erso, Rogue One

But they are not, are they? They are built on relationship, commitment, love, perseverence. The film "Rogue One" was entirely about a group doing what needed to be done, knowing they were almost guaranteed not to survive. Rebellions are not just built on strategy or numbers. They’re built on people who show up, who choose integrity when it costs them something, who continue even when they can’t see how things will end. The Rebellion holds because people refuse to quit — not because they’re sure they’ll win, but because they know who they are.

🌀 “The Force will be with you, always.” – Obi-Wan Kenobi, (Original Series)

This isn’t about magical power. It’s about trust. About being connected to something deeper — call it Spirit, or Source, or just the sacredness of life. Even in exile, even in ruin, the Force is with those who align themselves with justice and compassion.

💥 “I am one with the Force and the Force is with me.” – Chirrut Îmwe, Rogue One

Chirrut did not actually wield the force. He believed that all were connected through the force. A breath, a chant, a commitment. When the world feels too much, we return to this rhythm. We are not alone. Our actions matter. Even if we fall, the work continues — and we are part of something greater than ourselves.

🛡 “It’s not about fighting what we hate. It’s about saving what we love.” – Rose Tico, Last Jedi

When exhaustion and despair creep in, we remember: we aren’t just resisting. We’re protecting. We’re tending to what matters — the earth, each other, future generations. The Rebellion isn’t just opposition. It’s care, courage, and love-in-action.

🔥 "We have everything we need." – General Leia Organa, The Last Jedi

Empires rely on fear, silence, and division. But the people — when we remember our strength, when we organize, when we hold fast to our values — are more powerful than any Death Star.

General Leia Organa

So today, on May the 4th, may the Force be with you.

Not as a promise of victory, but as a companion in the long work of compassion, disruption, and repair. We are not called to be heroes — only to be faithful to the work. Whether you're a healer, a dreamer, a fighter, or a farmer: the path of resistance is yours to walk.

This is how we endure.
This is how we belong.
This is how we rise.

May the 4th be with you. And with us all.

Beloved, you are whole, holy, and worthy,

Rev. Amy

When the World is on Fire: Why Spiritual Care Still Matters

Not everyone has to be a fire fighter to put out a fire. Some of us have to be water carriers.

When authoritarianism rises, when rights are stripped away, when the fabric of society frays—what is the point of tending to small things? What is the point of spiritual care when fascism gains ground?

The answer is simple, but not easy: the work of spiritual care still matters. In fact, it matters more.

Naming the Tensions

In a moment like this, we’re pulled in many directions.

• Panic: Drop everything. Scream. Mobilize.
• Grief: Lie down and cry. Lose faith in what we do.
• Numbness: Pretend it’s not happening. Keep busy. Keep scrolling.
• Determination: Carry on with work and routines as if nothing has changed.

And for those of us whose work centers around care, spirit, healing, and justice, there’s an added tension:

How do I do this work now? Is it selfish to keep tending to my practice, to my livelihood, to my own healing while the world is burning?

Burning dumpster at George Floyd protests in Washington DC, Lafayette Square by Rosa Pineda CC4.0

Yes, Your Work Still Matters

I want to say this clearly: spiritual care is not a luxury. It is not optional. It is not secondary to “real” resistance.

Spiritual care is part of resistance.

The practices we offer—presence, reflection, discernment, connection, grief-holding, joy-tending—these are what keep people human in the face of dehumanization. These are what make the difference between despair and determination, between burnout and resilience.

If you’re a caregiver, a healer, a spiritual companion, your work is part of the resistance. You are offering people a lifeline. You are helping them find their ground when the world is shaking.

Personal Crisis in Public Crisis

And what if your personal life is also unraveling? What if you’re navigating divorce, illness, poverty, grief?

Well, of course that is happening. Life is still “life-ing.”. That’s not a disqualification. That’s part of the truth.

Your heartbreak does not make your care less valuable. It may, in fact, deepen it.

Your questions about what to keep, what to let go, and what to rebuild—those are holy questions.

There’s no shame in regrouping. There’s no shame in starting over. There is no shame in needing care and offering it. We are in this together, and none of us is immune to the ache of these times.

So How Do We Go On?

• Gently. With ourselves. With one another. With the work.
• Imperfectly. Trusting that “enough” is still sacred.
• Creatively. Letting old models go if needed, experimenting with what still resonates.
• With discernment. Listening for what’s real, what’s needed, what’s yours to hold.

Try This

1. Set a timer for ten minutes.
2. Ask yourself: What part of my work still feels alive?
3. Write down whatever comes. Don’t judge.
4. Then ask: What needs to rest? What’s worth tending now?

You’re not alone in this.

The work of care—spiritual, emotional, communal—is never easy, and even less so in times of crisis. But it is still ours to do. Not perfectly. Not endlessly. But with presence, with honesty, and with courage. The world may be on fire, and still, we keep lighting candles. Not to deny the dark, but to remember we are not forsaken. Our work remains. We remain. Let’s keep tending the sacred together.

Beloved, you are whole, holy, and worthy,

Rev. Amy

You Belong Here: Your Place in the Work of Justice

Finding Your Place in the Work of Justice

It’s easy to think activism comes in only two flavors: shouting in the streets or despairing at home. But the truth is, there’s a whole matrix of ways to be engaged - ways that honor both your capacity and the needs of the world.

PickPik, royalty free

Where do you fit? That depends. You need to ask yourself two questions:

1. Am I over-risking or over-functioning? Are you burning out, running on fumes, taking on more than is sustainable? Are you showing up in ways that exhaust you rather than energize you? Activism that neglects joy isn’t sustainable. Comfort the afflicted, including yourself.

2. Am I avoiding necessary conflict? Are you being “nice” when you need to be truthful? Are you leaning on spiritual bypassing, hoping love and light will make injustice disappear? Sometimes, transformation requires tension. If you have privilege – whiteness, cisness, maleness, class privilege – it may be time to take more risks. Afflict the comfortable – even if that’s you.

Credit: Rev. Kate Wilkerson

Compassion is Key

For those being directly targeted in this political climate: your safety comes first. Prioritizing your well-being isn’t a failure of activism, it’s often the most radical act you can take. Asking for help, leaning on community, and ensuring you have what you need to survive is sacred work. You are not required to be a martyr.

And if you are in a position to aid or shelter someone in need? Do so. The question is always: Who is my neighbor? The person in need is my neighbor. Maybe that means literally standing between them and the cameras (or the hecklers) at a rally. Maybe it means donating to Pink Haven, helping trans people relocate to safety. Maybe it means checking in on your friends, showing up with a meal, offering a ride. It always means directly asking, “How can I Help?”

What Can I Do?

Joanna Macy describes three dimensions of “The Great Turning” toward a life-sustaining society:

• Holding actions: Directly interrupting harm: protests, advocacy, legal action.
• Structural change: Creating alternatives: building new systems and ways of being.
• Shift in consciousness: Changing how we see the world: spiritual work, education, cultural transformation.

No single one of these is enough. We need all three. You can read more about this framework at The Work That Reconnects.

social change ecosystem framework by Deepa Iyer

And within each, there are even more ways to engage. Deepa Iyer maps out ten roles people take in movements: builders, caregivers, disrupters, visionaries, and more. The work is vast, and you have a place in it.

Your Place in the Work of Justice

There’s no single “right” way to engage. But there is a right way for you, right now. And as you grow, your role may shift. What matters is that you pay attention: to yourself, to your community, to the world. Move toward the work that calls to you, and let it change you.

Justice isn’t a solo act. It’s a living, breathing movement, and we all have a part to play.

You are whole, holy, and worthy,

Rev. Amy

Tips:

• Don’t reinvent. There are organizations that have been doing this work well, who can guide you. See for example, the list on “Human Rights Careers”, Side With Love, LWV.org, National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, Climate Justice Alliance (CJA), Building Movement Project.
• Dance, sing, attend to beauty.
• Notice the folks who are taking action – get inspired and share your inspiration. (Pink News, MeidasTouch)
• Build relationships. 
• Connect with the sacred, wherever and however you can.