Thought for Today
Ecclesiastes 1:9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"? It has already been, in the ages before us.
Isaiah 43:19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
I learned a new word (?) this morning. Greta had left the bedroom television on tuned to one of the network morning shows as she went into the kitchen to do something. As I was shaving, I heard a discussion about social media. The ‘expert’ suggested that one way to bring sanity to one’s social media and email was to avoid following ‘randos.’ I am assuming, from the context, that a rando is someone randomly being followed, in contrast to someone you intentionally follow on social media because you know them or are previously aware of their knowledge and opinions.
Quick show of hands, how many of you are tired of and wary of new words, new electronic devices, new almost everything? Thank goodness, I’m not alone! I know that I am not necessarily the most updated and modern individual on the planet. Having reached adulthood, at least in terms of age, long before the advent of computers, cell phones, the internet and many other ubiquitous aspects of modern life, I struggle with large swaths of the world around me. Before this morning, if someone had mentioned randos, I might have wondered whether the word referred to some new disease for which I needed a vaccination.
Surely, I am not the first person to realize that all progress requires change; but, not all change is progress. Most of us, as we age, come to be wary of change. I do often remind folks that no one ever lives in the world in which they grew up. I am daily reminded by the world all around me that I was born in another century. My children were born in another century. I grew up in the post-WWII era of radio, interstate highway construction, and the seeds of the electronic revolution. I now live in the world of PCs vs. Macs, iPhones vs. Androids, proper English grammar vs. whatever one calls the composition of texts and social media posts.
Admittedly, I do use many of the modern electronic tools. I am typing this on my laptop computer. Greta and I did recently got new, updated iPhones. Many of you will read this Thought via email or on Facebook. Our church has recently updated our website, and some will read this on that website. I have heard of X (please note that I did not write Twitter!) and some of the other social media platforms, but I refuse to follow or use them, leaving them for my children and grandchildren.
I have changed over my own lifetime. Some of that change is even truly progress. I do not want to return to the age of manual typewriters, console radios and having any telephone you wanted, as long as it was a rotary dial, black handset made by one of the Bell companies.
As a Christian, however, I understand the truth of those verses above. Qoheleth was correct in terms of our Creator God. The Bible begins with “Genesis 1:1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth.” I wrote a bit about that yesterday.
We live today in a society that worships youth, change and modernity. There is certainly much to be admired and desired in our electronic age. I’m sure that once I become used to my new cell phone, I will enjoy it as much as I did its predecessor. Once I work through all the issues around my new laptop, I’m sure I will love it. But, I am equally sure I do not need the word (?) rando in my vocabulary. I’m sure I will never need to post on X (I still think of such posts as ‘twits’).
All of social media, all of our computer technologies are for me mere tools to help me expand my knowledge of our Creator God. I believe the Bible captures what is important for me, as a Christian, in its verses. God was before the beginning. Jesus, the Word, was a part of the Godhead before the beginning. I believe.
Stay safe, believe, trust God,
Pastor Ray