Swords and Plough-shares?

Our carol service/concert was on Friday evening, and very good it was too. Our own instrumentalists and choir, together with the Mary Ward singers and the choir of the Japanese fellowship all took part in leading us, and there were several opportunities for the congregation to sing as well. And we interspersed the music with readings which told the story of "the passing on of the light", starting from the creation right through until today. It was good way to anchor our celebrations in the whole story of the action of God with people.
As part of our reading, we passed on a light. We had decorated the church using, among other things, large light sticks. We took one of these, and each reader passed it to the next, symbolising the light being passed through history.
All of which was fine, until we looked closely at the light sticks - light sabres, modelled on the weapons used in Star Wars!
Which raises an interesting point. Was this an appropriate symbol of our celebration of the light and life that enlightens everybody coming into the world, as the gospel of John puts it? Can the coming of the Prince of Peace truly be recognised with an, albeit fictional, weapon?
It is a question - or at least, a form of a question, that arises in all sorts of areas. To what extent do we live the life of the Kingdom using the patterns, tools and structures which are not of the Kingdom? Clearly we can't live in an isolated bubble, far away from the messiness of the world as it is. We live in a political, financial and power-wielding world. To opt out of that, to say we have nothing to do with it, to pretend we are not part of it - those are options that are not open to us.
But how do we "sing the Lord's song in a strange land" as the Israelites in exile had to question - how do we celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace in a context of violence, power-politics and fear? Can we use light sabres to do it?
I don't know the answer - only that the question won't go away. Part of me wants to say that we take the weapons, structures and manipulations of that which is not the Kingdom and refashion them. After all - we didn't use the sabres to fight during the service.
But I am left wondering if that is enough. Some of the youngsters who were present were fascinated by the sabres - and did fight with them. The pull of their identity as weapons is very strong. How do we prevent ourselves from being drawn into the patterns whose remaking we are looking for?
I do believe worship plays a part here - the telling and retelling of the gospel truths about who God is and so who we are becoming; that regular reminding of the truth of our identity on Christ which can get so easily overwhelmed by the often louder voices.
And so it is reassuring that several people asked me - usually flippantly- just why we were using light sabres as symbols in our carol service. There is enough gospel identity among us to recognise the inconsistency. And that will do as a reminder of what that gospel identity is.