Happy Friday,
Work out your salvation with fear and trembling…
The Apostle Paul, Phil. 2:12b
The Bible does not tell us to work for our salvation — indeed, it emphatically states that we cannot. (If you think I’m wrong, note Paul’s barely concealed rage in his letter to the Galatians.) However, saying we cannot work for our salvation does not mean we should not be working on it. Good Works (W) ≠ Salvation (S). But those who say Faith (F) = S are also wrong. The equation is: F = S + W. Look for the W in your own life. Turn to the grace and love of God to find the strength, hope and joy to love God and serve others. S is a free gift. But W is expected.
COVID: I hardly have the energy to say this, but COVID is spiking again, and it’s sending people scrambling. Some are heading back inside, some are announcing their unwillingness to embrace previous protocols. I’m not a doctor, but if I could write a prescription it would be for Patience and Hope – 40Mg of each, 3x a day. We will get through this, but we need to be kind to one another in the process, especially now. BTW, speaking of “racing back inside,” the WSJ is reporting that some are not sure they ever want to come back out. The phenomenon is so common that it has its own name, “the cave syndrome.”
Ambient Anger: While we’re here, let me say something about anger. As you know, there’s always some in the system, and when it’s low – let’s say, it measures 2 or less out of 7 – it’s not a problem. It can be self-contained. However, when it’s higher, it tends to spill out on others. I am not sure what the current Ambient Anger Level is, but it is spilling all over the place. (I got some on me this week.) One more thing, psychologists tell us that anger is a secondary emotion, which means we do not get angry, instead a primary emotion – such as fear or sadness – manifests itself as anger. So, if you’ve been spilling all over others, you might pause to ask yourself, what is going on in my heart?
Freedom: There are few topics about which more has been written than freedom. Tragically, much of it is abstract and most of it goes unread. As a result, many today naïvely think they have a divine and constitutional right to do as they please without being bothered by any unwanted consequences. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Hey, I’d like to eat whatever I want without gaining weight, but reality tends to insert itself. The Bible – and many other writings from the past – have much to offer us here, starting with the idea that constraints do not stifle true freedom, they contribute to it. A train may wish to be free of the tracks, but that doesn’t work well. Finally, at the risk of sounding like the old guy who is rolling his eyes while mumbling under his breath, “What are they teaching kids these days?” Let me note: when people are more interested in their rights than their responsibilities, society stops working.
Metaverse: As an aside, if you’d like to leave reality behind you’ll soon have more options. Zuckerberg is working on a metaverse – i.e., “a maximalist, interconnected set of experiences.” (The term was coined in Snow Crash, a 1992 sci-fi novel). According to those at Facebook, this metaverse will be “a convergence of physical, augmented and virtual reality in a shared online space” that will “span the physical and virtual worlds with a fully-fledged economy offering ‘unprecedented interoperability.’” I’m sure this will go well. After all, escapism and Gnosticism have great track records. Nevertheless I think I’ll stick with reality and it’s problems. I know how this story ends.
Without Comment: 1) A Citibank report notes that between 1995 and 2020, Contemporary art prices outperformed the S&P by 174%; 2) A recent report out of Japan suggests that 42 percent of that nation’s jobs could be displaced by automation by 2030; 3) This Web MD report notes the AMA’s suggestion that sexual identity be removed from birth certificates.
Question: NYC pastor, Jon Tyson, encourages us to wonder: Who am I becoming by what I am doing?
Quotes Worth Requoting: “He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.” John Stuart Mill
Corrections: In last week’s Update I suggested that 1968 stood out because of the assassinations of JFK and the North Korean’s launch of the TET Offensive. Wow, two mistakes in one line. It was RFK not JFK, and it was the North Vietnamese not the North Koreans.
Who Moved: About a year ago – after claiming that the divide between the left and the right felt greater than before – I asked: Who do you think moved the most? This study – compiled by The Economist – suggests an answer. It argues that in 1994, the left was at a 5 and the right was at a 6, but by 2017 the left was at a 2 and the right was at a 6.5. I do not expect everyone to agree with their claim, but it makes sense to me. By definition, progressives want to keep progressing, and – at least according to WFB – a conservative is someone “who stands athwart history, yelling ‘Stop.’”
Closing Prayer: High King of heaven, Lord of the years and sovereign over time and history, grant to us such an overpowering knowledge of who you are that our trust in you may be unshakable. Grant to us too a sufficient understanding of the signs of the times in which we live that we may know how to serve your purposes in our generation and more truly be your people in our world today. To that end, O Lord, revive us again and draw us closer to yourself and to each other. Where there is false contentment with our present condition, sow in us a holy restlessness. Where there is discouragement, grant us fresh heart. Where there is despair, be our hope again. For your sake empower us to be your salt and light in the world, and thus your force for the true human flourishing of your shalom. In the name of Jesus, Amen. (Os Guinness)