In a transparent attempt to attract more young people to its congregation, a church in Berlin held a special "Star Wars" service on Sunday themed on the sci-fi blockbuster.
It was a smashing success. Some 500 congregants wielding light sabres and Darth Vader masks packed into Berlin's Zion Church for a special Sunday service with the film's theme song played on the church's organ echoing around the rafters to the delight of all those in attendance.
A screen was also set up next to the altar which showed a clip from the record-breaking movie.
The number of those who attended last Sunday's service was more than twice that of the average worshippers who come to the church on Sundays, pastor Lucas Ludewig said after the service, The Guardian reported.
"We were very happy to see so many people in the church today," he said. "It's great that there are subjects that people are interested in. They trust us to make them part of the church service without making it too Christian or too Star Wars, but to find a good compromise."
The 30-year-old pastor said he and fellow pastor Ulrike Garve, 29, are both fans of the Star Wars films the seventh instalment of which, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," opened in cinemas on Friday.
Ludewig said they quickly thought of including elements of the film into church service.
"Star Wars picks up religious images, including Christian images and maybe some from other religions," said Ludewig. "In doing so, it shows that the Bible and the church are part of our culture that keeps being reworked and reinterpreted."
Churchgoers were highly receptive of the pastors' ideas. Jonathan Wonneberger, dressed as a Jawa trader, said the service was a welcome change from tradition. "You don't have to take everything that's religious too seriously. Of course you have to treat it with respect, but when there's a global event like Star Wars, it's OK to jump on the bandwagon," he said.
Scott McGuire, wearing a Chewbacca costume, said he planned to see the movie later. "I think the whole question of God is very interesting, but getting up early on a Sunday is one of those things. But for something like this, I'll go," he said.
Church leaders have been comparing Star Wars to references in the Holy Bible. The film franchise hews closely to the Bible since its central theme is overcoming evil with good, they say.
"The more we talked about it, the more parallels we discovered between Christian traditions and the movies," said Ulrike Garve, a vicar in training. "We wanted to make churchgoers aware of these analogies," Time reported.
