It’s been 35 years since Yoda made his first appearance on the big screen, and he’s been a part of our culture ever since. Officially, the literature tells us, Yoda is a Grand Jedi Master. So what’s a Jedi? A Jedi, we learn in “Star Wars,” is one who has mastered “the Force,” the living energy that exists in all things, to serve and to protect those in need. We meet other Jedi’s in the series – Obi-Wan Kenobi, and, of course, Luke Skywalker. But let’s be honest – Yoda is our favorite.

Part of it is that’s he’s small and cute, in an alien sort of way. But it’s mostly the way he talks and the things he says. If you Google the phrase “Yoda quotes” you’ll get scores and scores of websites with various lists of people’s favorite Yoda sayings. They’re typically short – like Yoda himself – but they always sound so wise. For example, in “The Phantom Menace” Yoda offers this warning: “Fear is the path to the dark side ... fear leads to anger … anger leads to hate … hate leads to suffering.” In his first meeting with Luke Skywalker Yoda offers this counsel: “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.”

But here’s the number one saying, the one that’s at the top of most everyone’s list. You might remember the scene. Young Skywalker’s fighter is stuck in one of the swamps of Dagobah. Yoda is trying to teach Luke how to use the power of the Force to levitate the vehicle out of the muck. Luke is skeptical that he’ll be able to do such a seemingly impossible thing, but he gamely says, “I’ll give it a try.” And do you remember what Yoda says? “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

It’s been 35 years since Yoda made his first appearance on the big screen, and he’s been a part of our culture ever since. Officially, the literature tells us, Yoda is a Grand Jedi Master. So what’s a Jedi? A Jedi, we learn in “Star Wars,” is one who has mastered “the Force,” the living energy that exists in all things, to serve and to protect those in need. We meet other Jedi’s in the series – Obi-Wan Kenobi, and, of course, Luke Skywalker. But let’s be honest – Yoda is our favorite.

Part of it is that’s he’s small and cute, in an alien sort of way. But it’s mostly the way he talks and the things he says. If you Google the phrase “Yoda quotes” you’ll get scores and scores of websites with various lists of people’s favorite Yoda sayings. They’re typically short – like Yoda himself – but they always sound so wise. For example, in “The Phantom Menace” Yoda offers this warning: “Fear is the path to the dark side ... fear leads to anger … anger leads to hate … hate leads to suffering.” In his first meeting with Luke Skywalker Yoda offers this counsel: “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.”

But here’s the number one saying, the one that’s at the top of most everyone’s list. You might remember the scene. Young Skywalker’s fighter is stuck in one of the swamps of Dagobah. Yoda is trying to teach Luke how to use the power of the Force to levitate the vehicle out of the muck. Luke is skeptical that he’ll be able to do such a seemingly impossible thing, but he gamely says, “I’ll give it a try.” And do you remember what Yoda says? “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

Cornerstone Community Church, San Jose CA

As a kid I remember hearing an adult in our

church describe a friend of his as being “so heavenly

minded he was no earthly good.” Have you ever

heard that phrase? The assumption behind that

description seems to be that it’s a waste of time to

think and dream about heaven, that there are better

things we can do with our time than to imagine what

heaven will be like.

As a kid I remember hearing an adult in our

church describe a friend of his as being “so heavenly

minded he was no earthly good.” Have you ever

heard that phrase? The assumption behind that

description seems to be that it’s a waste of time to

think and dream about heaven, that there are better

things we can do with our time than to imagine what

heaven will be like.

As a youngster, I never dreamed about my wedding –

most boys don’t. I didn’t even entertain the thought of

marriage until after high school, and even then I thought

about being married and not getting married. Girls, I

think, spend a bit more time fantasizing about their

wedding than boys do. If I understand correctly, there are

even magazines devoted to the subject, although none of

them seem to target men. There’s “Bride’s Magazine,”

“Modern Bride” and “Elegant Bride,” but nothing for

grooms. Apparently there is no hope of turning a man

into an “elegant groom,” so why waste a magazine on the

topic?

As a youngster, I never dreamed about my wedding –

most boys don’t. I didn’t even entertain the thought of

marriage until after high school, and even then I thought

about being married and not getting married. Girls, I

think, spend a bit more time fantasizing about their

wedding than boys do. If I understand correctly, there are

even magazines devoted to the subject, although none of

them seem to target men. There’s “Bride’s Magazine,”

“Modern Bride” and “Elegant Bride,” but nothing for

grooms. Apparently there is no hope of turning a man

into an “elegant groom,” so why waste a magazine on the

topic?