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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion April 1, 2005 |
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Frontline Devotion for Friday, April 1, 2005 By Mike Martine
Luke
24:44-53
I was planning on ignoring the lesson today, but…in an eerie manner, it fits
with the subject I’m struggling with. We read the lesson, the ascension of
Jesus, the return of Jesus to the father, on the day after Terri Schiavo died.
Understand this—I don’t want to talk about Terri Schiavo. In a lot of ways,
I’m sick of hearing about Terri Schiavo. And though I do (I must admit) have
strong feelings about cases like this one, I’m not going to take you today, in
your devotional period, and attempt to convince you that my “Christian”
outlook in a case like this is the “right” one. The truth—the sad
truth—is that no matter what anyone claims, there are several, legitimate,
“Christian” arguments concerning what should be done. And…if we are able
to put our emotions aside, we can realize that those arguments can have very
different conclusions and STILL be Christian.
But I do believe that the attention this case has drawn highlights a problem, an
illness, in our society that we need to consider and talk about with our friends
and loved ones.
Simply put, our society has chosen to become consumed with, and fascinated with,
“celebrity.” And our fascination with “celebrity” has grown to the point
where our pursuit of “celebrity” outstrips almost anything else—including
incredible human tragedy and need.
Look at the case of Terri Schiavo. In the last few weeks, our news agencies have
covered her every breath. We have been asked to ponder countless questions
concerning her condition, family, and case. Is her husband a murderer? Is her
family selfish? Have our courts lost site of our core values? Should our
president step in and tell us what is morally “right?”
Don’t get me wrong, some of these questions are important, but look a little
deeper at our world today…
We’re still recovering from a tsunami. There’s been an earthquake and
hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost. AIDS continues to run rampant
through Africa. The poor in our own inner cities continue to struggle—often
without attention from our leadership (from BOTH parties). Countless children go
to bed hungry, night after night. Some will not make it through the next day…
And yet, on the news…in the paper…on the street…talk is about Terri
Schiavo.
Why? Because of celebrity. Through no fault of her own, Terri became the star of
the media. Terri became “hot,” and those other stories I’ve mentioned
(even though they involve thousands of people who also might be dead soon) got
lost by the wayside.
We need to wake up and realize that Jesus was not about celebrity. Celebrity in
our world means the ignoring of the many to tell the story of one.
In the world of Jesus, something quite different happens. The one person (Jesus)
gives himself as life for all. The one person gives himself up for the cause of
the many. The one person dies and then goes to the father, because that will, in
the end, benefit the cause of the many.
The case of Terri Schiavo raises questions we need to address, but as long as
we’re consumed with celebrity—concentrating on the needs of the one and
ignoring the similar plight being suffered by those around us, we are headed for
disaster.
Pray with me today that Terri Schiavo, and her family, might find rest. But also
pray that we, as members of society, might encourage people to prepare living
wills. Pray that we might look beyond what is happening with celebrities and
concentrate, instead, on the needs of the world. Needs for mission; for
meaningful work; and for progress against poverty.
Pray that, as Terri finds peace, we might find perspective. The perspective,
especially, that none of us is more important than the needs of the many. Pray
that our world might recognize that Jesus is risen, and that our job, now, is to
take the healing news of the resurrection to those who need it most. (Whether
that action is popular or not!)
Peace—and pray that we will look around us, and wake up! mm
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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