May the Fourth
Almighty God, King of Heaven: Grant, we beseech thee, that as we go forth against the forces of darkness, so we may be prevented by the force of thy Holy Spirit and all the heavenly host; that at the last we may enter into the Kingdom of Peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ Or this:
For the Awakening of the Force of Righteousness
O Lord Jesus Christ, Captain of our souls, who, after thy crucifixion didst harrow hell and bring salvation to the penitent: we beseech thee to awaken within us the force of thy righteousness, that we may put on the armour of God and resist the temptations of the Evil One, and may in time cross the river Jordan and reach that side where thou art the Light eternal; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
The original collect for May the Fourth (as in, “… be with you”) was first used at Evensong on May 4th, 2014. The second collect was first used at Mattins on Advent IV, December 20th, 2015, in response to the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. On both occasions, the Choirmaster-Organist’s post-service voluntary was Atrio solii (“The Throne Room”), a tour-de-force transcription of the final cue from John Williams’s score for Star Wars: A New Hope.
Rey takes Luke Skywalker’s light sabre from Kylo Ren. From Star Wars: The Force Awakens
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