MONDAY MORNING REFLECTIONS: DANGEROUS DISTRACTIONS

By Steve Dunn

I love this little photo.  I have posted it before on my Facebook page and in my church’s newsletter. It is clear that our fascination with our cell phones and texting while driving has developed some seriously deadly implications.  Although I use the hands-free Bluetooth feature of my Toyota Camry from time to time, I do not use it in traffic but only when I am alone on the high (i.e., no other cars nearby).  Doing anything but driving can be a dangerous distraction—to you if to no one else.

Now look at this cartoon.

 

One of the phenomenon of worship in churches today is the texting during worship.  Except for those churches that encourage tweeting with the preach mid-sermon, texting is a distraction from the most important activity—worshiping the Lord.  It often keeps people from giving their attention and their hearts fully to God and what He wants to communicate to them.  A steady diet of this can have some dangerous eternal consequences.

But it’s not just texting.  People who inspect other worshipers for what they are wearing, doing or not doing are not giving themselves fully to worship.  And I tell my parishioners, “If you can tell me how many mistakes there were in worship or in the bulletin, you are permitting those distractions from truly worshiping.

Take these words to heart from I Samuel.

© 2018  by Stephen L. Dunn.  You have permission to reprint this provided it is unchanged, proper authorship is cited, it is in a publication not for sale, and a link is provided to this site or to www.drstevedunn.com. For all other uses, contact Steve at sdunnpastor@gmail.com 

HOLY TUESDAY - SPIRITUAL ABUSE

BY STEVE DUNN

"Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.” - Matthew 21.12-13 NIV

This passage of scripture appears in all four gospels and John's gospel adds the detail "So he made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple ..."  This passage is one that is the favorite of people who are trying to justify a roaring outburst of violent anger.They like to say, "Jesus was not always a nice guy," and that is true.  Jesus was not a cute little Precious Moments figure.  But neither was he the spiritual equivalent of the Terminator.  In fact, it is the only account in scripture of Jesus engaging in action that could be described as physically violent.  He had very harsh words on many occasions, especially towards those who were twisting God's Word, but even this episode was not describing Jesus as out of control.  In fact, given his zeal about the issue, it is most definitely a intentional and controlled act.

Focusing on his method often causes us to miss the point of the story.  The money changers and merchandisers were in the Temple courts under the sponsorship of the High Priest and other religious leadership.  History tells us that this arrangement led to great abuses of honest worshippers, gouging unreasonable payments from pilgrims preying upon people who had honestly come to express their deep devotion to their God.

They had turned a house dedicated to prayer and worship--perhaps the most important acts of love and devotion one can carry out towards God--into a polluted mockery of the holy Temple.

God considers this to be a particularly egregious sin--not simply as utter disrespect of His holiness but as an abuse of those whose love for God is unashamed and genuine.

We must always remember that God will not let such sin go unnoticed and unchallenged. And the abuse of those who love Him by those who are supposed to be their spiritual leaders will always arouse His righteous anger.

© 2018  by Stephen L. Dunn.  You have permission to reprint this provided it is unchanged, proper authorship is cited, it is in a publication not for sale, and a link is provided to this site or to www.drstevedunn.com. For all other uses, contact Steve at sdunnpastor@gmail.com