From the Pastor’s Desk…
Dear Parishioners,
Our culture loves to spread rumors and conspiracies. I grew up in the small town of Bolivar, and everyone pretty well knew everyone. If you got in trouble in school, sometimes our parents knew before we even got home. How often have we heard of conspiracies from the government, not only our own but in other countries. If we hear things enough, we begin to believe. Sixty-five years ago in small town Bolivar, you were guilty before you got home because enough people said so.
Biblical characters were not immune to such problems. Even Jesus acknowledged that friends and family may threaten us. God does something for us today that interrupts the rumor mill and gives us strength even when we’re the subject of malicious talk. The first is that He helps us understand the origins of whisper campaigns. As the Apostle Paul noted, this sin entered the world like every other sin: in the Garden through Adam’s choices. Thus our world inherits this condition.
When someone spreads false information, the individual/people are depersonalized. They are not seen as a child of God. In history, we can see the effects as humans have treated other humans terribly,
even to the action of genocide.
God provides a solution through us. Jesus promises us that our character will demonstrate that the secrets and rumors were false. Truth isn’t always revealed as quickly as a social media post. But eventually, people begin to understand. God knows who we really are and loves us even better than an earthly father. Our heavenly Father knows us so well that he even numbers the hair on our head.
Our value is not measured by what other people say about us. God has already extended the gracious gift of love through Jesus Christ. The great gift of grace triumphs over all the damage anyone would personally seek to do to us.
The way to counter false information is to share the goodness of a person/people who is under attack. Humans do gossip, slander, and lie, but even though they hurt, they’re not death sentences. God offers a way for us to bear witness faithfully through malicious behavior.