In the book that I am currently reading we find the story of Bill McKibben. He is an author and activist. In the 1990s Bill approached his local cable company and made a strange request of them. He sought to copies of every single thing that they broadcast for a full 24-hour period—just one day. He wanted all of the shows, the commercials, the movies, everything that this company broadcast so that he could study them. Surprisingly the cable company handed over the video tapes which were approximately 1700 hours worth of material.
Bill took those tapes and went to his mountain cabin to immerse himself in the videos that he was given. It took him an entire year to fully watch everything (all 1700 hours) that he was in possession of. He left his cabin and wrote a book entitled, The Age of Misinformation. In that text, Bill offers the following conclusion:
“The residual idea, the central theme, is that each of us is at the center of the universe—the most important thing on earth. We’re being told we’re the heaviest object around and that everything needs to orbit around our ideas of convenience and comfort.”
He wrote those words, as I stated already, in the 1990s. I wonder what Bill might say today if he were to duplicate his study and immersion experience??? I suspect that his conclusion would be far harsher this time around. . .
Now likely this is not new information to your minds. You have heard myself and other church leaders offer up this same conclusion to you. Perhaps you have even joined in the chorus of those who affirm that the biggest problem in our current culture is the self-centered, entitled, nature of it. People see themselves as the center of existence. Your conclusion would be supported by many other people—regardless of cultural context. We are a people who feel that they are the most important, most knowledge, best qualified person around. This is not slight against our neighbors, it just is the way that things are at this time. Likely this feeling or mindset or choice will be with us for a while.
So this makes me begin to wonder, though. I wonder how am I going to put forth the message of God, a message that affirms that we need God because of our sin and our brokenness, if we cannot be honest enough to state that we are either sinful or broken? How are we going to live faithfully as the church in a world that is so focused on itself that it has little time for introspection?
These are not new questions to any of us. . . In fact they will live on for quite a long time in this culture. But are we not called by God to interact with people, to care for them, to serve them, to love them?
As MaryAnn McKibben Dana, the author of the book that I found Bill’s story in, would say:
“If our focus is only inward, we become organisms cured in on ourselves. By serving one another. . . we can save our own lives.”
Perhaps today God is asking you to find someone to serve, to love, to lift up, to care for. By practicing this act, or making this choice, you not only help them, but you help continue to "save your own life?” Even if they are totally focused on themselves, your example helps lift the veil from their hearts so that God can come in and redeem them. . .
Blessings
Rev. Derek
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