WHAT IS DONE AMISS
by Bob Wickizer
Scripture: 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 2 Samuel 18:15, 2 Samuel 18:31-33, Psalms 130:1-8, Ephesians 4:25-32, Ephesians 5:1-2, John 6:35, John 6:41-51
Title: What is Done Amiss
Author: Bob Wickizer
Text: 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33; Psalm 130; Ephesians 4:25-5:2; John 6:35, 41-51
If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, O Lord, who could stand?
It was bound to happen, and it happened this week. A billionaire posted on his privately owned media channel a video of a politician he does not like saying things on the video that she never said. The video is still up and has been viewed 137 million times. I had a friend this week tell me about the video as if it were true. It is not. It is a falsehood, a lie.
"Oh, politicians and their supporters lie all the time" you might say as a means of either justifying the behavior or cutting off meaningful conversation. But a lie violates the Ten Commandments and lies always cause harm. Today, we have allowed lies to go unchecked in politics, business, and the church. Technology is blurring reality so that videos and recordings can no longer be trusted. They can now be altered or made up from thin air to say anything that anyone with enough money wants to say.
Gone are the days when it was clear that Bugs Bunny was a fantasy and Walter Cronkite could be trusted to tell things pretty much the way they were. Now the distinction between fantasy and reality is gone. Falsehood and truth have been tossed into a blender of confusion. Psalm 85 declares that "Righteousness and peace have kissed each other." But today, righteousness and peace have fled the scene and, in their place, we get high school behavior and chaos.
What is the church supposed to do with this? What are we called to do as baptized Christians?
As Christians, we are called to follow Jesus or as I like to say, "we are called to do what he did and not worry so much about what we think his words meant." This avoids the problem of interpreting words and cuts to the heart of things Jesus did. His actions were based on compassion for others.
In scientific and technical fields, if a researc ...
Author: Bob Wickizer
Text: 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33; Psalm 130; Ephesians 4:25-5:2; John 6:35, 41-51
If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, O Lord, who could stand?
It was bound to happen, and it happened this week. A billionaire posted on his privately owned media channel a video of a politician he does not like saying things on the video that she never said. The video is still up and has been viewed 137 million times. I had a friend this week tell me about the video as if it were true. It is not. It is a falsehood, a lie.
"Oh, politicians and their supporters lie all the time" you might say as a means of either justifying the behavior or cutting off meaningful conversation. But a lie violates the Ten Commandments and lies always cause harm. Today, we have allowed lies to go unchecked in politics, business, and the church. Technology is blurring reality so that videos and recordings can no longer be trusted. They can now be altered or made up from thin air to say anything that anyone with enough money wants to say.
Gone are the days when it was clear that Bugs Bunny was a fantasy and Walter Cronkite could be trusted to tell things pretty much the way they were. Now the distinction between fantasy and reality is gone. Falsehood and truth have been tossed into a blender of confusion. Psalm 85 declares that "Righteousness and peace have kissed each other." But today, righteousness and peace have fled the scene and, in their place, we get high school behavior and chaos.
What is the church supposed to do with this? What are we called to do as baptized Christians?
As Christians, we are called to follow Jesus or as I like to say, "we are called to do what he did and not worry so much about what we think his words meant." This avoids the problem of interpreting words and cuts to the heart of things Jesus did. His actions were based on compassion for others.
In scientific and technical fields, if a researc ...
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