Recently, I was asked to preach to a group of 7th and 8th graders at a local Christian school during their Friday morning chapel service.  It was a great honor to be asked and I really enjoyed seeing these young men and women seeking God in their lives.  They have been studying the "fruits of the Spirit" (see Galatians 5:22) and were ready to look at "peace".  With my mission before me, I set out to strengthen these young men and women in their walk with Christ and began to think about how to present this information.  After doing a little research, and much prayer, I quickly decided that if I didn't find a way to present this information in a way that was meaningful to them that I would lose their attention rapidly.  As I thought about this, the "bridge" that came to mind was Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.  While that may seem out of place, this isn't the first time that I have used a Star Wars Illustration to explain something from the Bible and in all honesty, I doubt that it will be the last.

The quote from the movie that I used needs a little background explanation.  If you recall from the movie, Luke has been instructed to seek out Master Yoda to complete his training.  Having found him, Luke begins to sharpen his skills as a Jedi Knight, however, he still has a lot of doubt about his abilities, is not relying on the force as he should and is also concerned about his ability to tell the difference between the "good" and "dark" sides of the force.  It is at this point in which Master Yoda imparts upon him the following words of wisdom...

"You will know (meaning the difference between the two) when you are calm, at peace."

Wow!  What a jem and how true for all things in life.  I had actually forgotten these words of wisdom until I started working on this sermon.  Based upon the reaction from the kids, the example seemed to work pretty well and I left feeling pretty good about everything.  As I was driving away, I began to reflect on what I had said and began to wonder if I could develop and entire sermon based solely upon the teachings of Master Yoda and how it relates to faith.  Keeping in mind that I do understand that Star Wars is a movie and that Master Yoda is a make believe character, the whole concept of the force and how it relates to faith really matches up nicely in my brain.  In fact, both topics remind me of Hebrews 11:1...

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Yoda believed so strongly in the force as a way of life that it allowed him to do things that those who were much younger and physically stronger could not do.  For example, remember the scene in the movie when Yoda, using the force, moves Luke's tie-fighter out of the swamp and sets it on dry ground?  Do you remember why Yoda told Luke that he was unable to do the same thing?  If you don't remember, watch the movie - I don't want to give everything away.  For those of you who do remember, what parallels can you draw from this as it relates to our faith?  For me, it is a mixture of amazement, praise, gratitude and conviction (conviction, not condemnation - there is a difference).

I think I will work on that sermon.

I leave you today with Philippians 4:13...

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Your brother in Christ,

Jim