I am intrigued with our culture's fascination with reality TV shows such as Survivor, and The Apprentice. To me "reality TV" is a misnomer. Most of the shows portray a modified and highly influenced form of reality with participants put in exotic locations or abnormal situations, often coached to act a certain way or edited so that the producers get an acceptable final cut. This isn't reality. It's entertainment. One that was popular when it first came out was "Extreme Makeover" in which people were chosen to have a "Cinderella-like" experience by changing their looks. Implied was that everything else about their lives would change for the better too. They could expect healthier relationships, success at work; popularity among friends, to name just a few make-over benefits.
It's a new year. It's common for us to begin the year with renewed determination to do something about something that we don't like about ourselves. We resolve to give ourselves our own "Extreme Makeover". The problem is, it's easy to let outside pressures determine what those changes should be. We resolve to lose weight, to exercise more, to spend more time with family or friends, to spend less time at the office, to be less grouchy etc. I've never been successful at keeping resolutions-but I recently had an epiphany (it's the Epiphany season after all!): my focus shouldn't be about making a new resolution but about a new revolution!
Revolution means a sudden, radical, complete change. Revolution is what happens when I remember God's love for me and God's call to me to live in a relationship with him. It's what happens when we live in the light of Christ. It's what happens when I seek God's presence in my life and the world. Typical New Year's resolutions let the culture be the author of our lives. But when we do that it's like reality TV; it becomes scripted and we're letting others determine what our lives should look like. More rewarding, more satisfying is to let God, who is our Creator and Redeemer, be the author of our lives!
We are beginning a sermon series in January called: The Rest of the Story: Living in the Light of Christ. There's always a big build-up around the Christmas story. We know how to celebrate Christ's coming into the world but what's the rest of the story? The story is revealed as we live our lives in the knowledge that we belong to God. When we surrender our lives to God it changes the choices we make and the paths we take. When we live in the light of Christ, God continually works with and through us to accomplish His purpose. It makes for an amazing story!
Psalm 103 [1] reads: O my soul, bless God, don't forget a single blessing! He forgives your sins-every one... He redeems you...saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy...He wraps you in goodness..."
Take this scripture to heart! Praise God for His revolution! See you in church!
Pastor Mary