Today's readings: Psalms 97; 147:12-20, Genesis 4:17-26, Hebrews 3:1-11, John 1:43-51
The good old days, according to Biblical history, don’t get any
older than the time of Adam and Eve. Rather than a simpler time when people
were decent, the first generations of humans dabbled in murder. Adam and Eve
may be the model for traditional marriage, but their descendants practiced
polygamy while the original couple was still alive (Gen 4:19-26). Whether these stories are
factual or not, they tell us human society has not degraded, but has always had
issues.
What about the more recent good old days? The era of Leave
It To Beaver might have been great for white, Christian men, but for people of
color, women, and religious minorities it was a time of oppression. Most of us,
especially those who grew up enjoying a privilege we didn’t realize we had, do
not understand what a complicated and dangerous world it is until we live in it
as adults. We are nostalgic for a time that never actually existed, but which seems
better because we were not fully capable of comprehending and despairing of its
complexities.
The writer of Ecclesiastes claimed that even in his time,
there was nothing new under the sun. He surely didn’t anticipate the iPhone,
but as far as human nature goes, he remains correct. We are capable of the same
atrocities and acts of kindness as we have always been. However, despite the
hype of the 24-hour news cycle, statistics show that violence in the world has been
steadily decreasing for decades. The good old days were simply … not.
When we feel overwhelmed by the world, let’s not pine for a
past that never was. Instead, let’s focus on introducing God’s realm into the troubles
of the present. It is by facing the world head on, while relying on the
assurances of Christ, that we create a better future.
Evening readings: Psalms 16; 62
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