I am not against change, or progress, or technology. I actually like it quite a lot. But, I do believe that we need to be careful that we are not mislead or lied to by those who bring it to us. Discernment is a gift in any generation and you and I need to encourage it more in one another. And as Christians we also need to be careful not to be knocked off balance or to allow Christ to be displaced from the center of our modern life. When things changes as fast as they have in a generation, it is very important to remember the two commandments Christ gave us; to, number one, love God and, number two, love our neighbour as ourself. That can’t be hard, right?

Think about this. It wasn’t that long ago that we grew the food we ate, we wore the clothes we made and used the tools we manufactured.

Now, it seems, we have bought into a happier and easier life.

we are reluctant to look behind the curtain this lifestyle has drawn at our countries borders

But with this “happier and easier life” we are reluctant to look behind the curtain this lifestyle has drawn at our countries borders. If we look behind that curtain, we can’t help but see things like, the the suicide nets that encircle the residences where the Chinese workers who build our electronics live, or the unsafe working conditions of clothing factories in Bangladesh.

The modern day prophets of empty gods whisper in our ears about all things we need to buy for the happy and easy life we desire, and we do do it. all the while they march toward a higher and higher profits. We are not at war with each other, but those that sell guns and weapons and defence systems want us to believe we are. But it is not true.

empty gods whisper in our ears

The modern day equivalent of false prophets are those that cunningly invite us to worship a god of Consumption. The quicker and cheaper we tare it from the earth the quicker and cheaper we prepare it for consumption. The quicker and cheaper we consume it, the sooner we throw is away and grow in our desire for more. How long will we be oblivious to this? How long will we be fooled by the empty words and glittering dance of the false prophets? Worshiping empty gods slowly hollows out our world. Things may look aright on the surface, but eventually under the weight of itself it crumbles. We are in danger of becoming consumed consumers.

This is why discernment is so important

This is why discernment is so important, and why holding up those two commandments that Jesus gave us as Christians living in our modern society is so darn important!

From the birth of Christ to the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of God has begun its triumph of the world. And it is a peaceful kingdom. It is the kind of place that Christ points us to. It is God, who has no need for profit, that desires this Kingdom for us. And it is already around us. Although we don’t always see it, which is because we can be fooled into to not looking for it. You and I see instances of it in the kind gestures and healing acts we see everyday. A policeman who bends down to tie an ill and elderly man’s shoe on a sidewalk. A hospice worker comforts the tears & fears of a person whose loved one is dying. A stranger stops to help another who is difficulty. It is a person in prayer at the end of the day, giving thanks to God for the good things that had be given. It is love, and compassion and it is rooted in message Jesus came to bring us. It starts with putting God first in our life, and then it catches fire, when we love our neighbour in the same way we love ourself.