On Sunday we continue our April sermon series on the spiritual lessons, good and bad, that television teaches. This week, we focus on the ways that television encourages us to accept and include people in our lives that, at first glance, do not seem to fit, but who usually offer amazing gifts and blessings (alongside some headaches too). In fact, much of American popular culture is about acceptance -- accepting and tolerating others; accepting and tolerating ourselves.
The show that best envisions the challenges and fruits of such inclusion, at least in my mind, is the recent detective program, "Monk." Monk was a brilliant consultant for the San Francisco police who could no longer be in active service due to his almost crippling Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Thanks to support, including the key acceptance of the police chief, though, Monk is allowed to share his mental gifts to solve crimes. However, his emotional and psychological problems pose significant challenges and frustrations to those around him, including the police chief and his private nurse. Without their help (and the help of others), Monk's nervous breakdown and OCD would keep him home, but with their help he is able to share his brilliant gifts for the community's good.
This is what we hope for in every Christian community, but too often we talk in platitudes that ignore the difficulties and obstacles that must be overcome to offer inclusion to people facing significant challenges, be they physical, emotional, financial, psychological, etc. This was true in Jesus' day, and is the cultural context for most of his miraculous healings. And it is certainly true in our own day, as we must strive, every day, to be Christ's church. The sermon title, incorporating the great Beatles' hit, is "Help! (or Monk)."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment