Married at First Sight and other guilty pleasures

People get very touchy when you question their TV choices. Watching TV is so closely associated with rest after a difficult day for many Australians, so suggesting that there might be a bee in that particular lemonade can will either lead to resistance (e.g. “what I watch doesn’t affect me”), or will be politely ignored.
 
Channel Nine banks on us treating Married at First Sight (MAFS) like a guilty pleasure. They sanitise the show describing it as a “social experiment” and by including relationship experts that purport to be value adding to ourrelationships using their couples as exhibits for us to learn from.
 
MAFS has made the Nine network LOADS of money. According to the ABC’s Media Watch, the purchase last year of Fairfax news by Nine was only possible because of the advertising revenue of MAFS.
 
But Media Watch also uncovered stories of former participants that should give us pause. Of the 35 couples the show has “expertly matched” over it's five seasons, one has gone on to an actual wedding and marriage -  and even they said they regretted participating.  
 
We’re not the first generation who have had to wrestle with what entertainment is beneficial to consume. Christians of the first few centuries AD struggled with whether it was ok to go and watch the Gladiators fight. There’s a moving account in Augustine’s the confessions where his friend Alipio was dragged along with a group of friends to the Colosseum but, as a Christian, decided to keep his eyes shut. As soon as the first roar of the crowd went up his curiosity got the better of him and he peeked between his fingers. Augustine wrote, “And so he received a greater wound in his soul than that gladiator had received in his body”
 
MAFS is every bit as gladiatorial. Say what you want about the willingness of the participants, they are reporting being left with deep psychological wounds from the experience. If we choose to enjoy their pain, that wounds us.

Marriage should be honoured by all, and is not to be entered into lightly or carelessly, but with reverent and serious respect for the purposes for which it was instituted by God.

– Marriage Service from the Anglican Prayer Book

But, if I return to where we began, you might be feeling stuck. Because watching prime time TV might be what you think of as relaxation. You might know everything I've mentioned, but still be peeking through your fingers. The gospel invites you into a different and more satisfying kind of rest. Jesus invites you to rest in him. He is a far better example to learn about marriage, his wounds leave you unscathed. 

grace and peace,

Steve

Born is the king - Christmas Pageant

This Christmas the young people of Renew Anglican Church performed a pageant called Born is the king. If you’re interested in performing the play at your church you can purchase the script, including information for costumes and staging here.

Mary gets news she will give birth to the forever king!

Mary has a chat with Joseph about their new ‘situation’.

An accurate retelling of Mary & Joseph’s long hike to Bethlehem - possibly with out the pizza.

Struggling to find a room with a view in Bethlehem after Joseph forgets to book ahead.

The three wise men see a star in the night sky and choose to follow it.

A procession of wise men, shepherds and their sheep all follow the star to find the forever king.

Hallelujah! Our forever King, Jesus the Christ, has come to earth today.

Well done to everyone involved in bringing Born is the King to life on the Renew stage!

Every one say ‘Baaaaa’!

for goodness sake.

Friends, can we have a chat about Santa?
 
This year Myer launched its Naughty or Nice bauble. If you’ve not heard of it have a look at the video below. It connects via Bluetooth to a parent’s phone and they can change the bauble’s colour (green or red) based on their children’s goodness or badness in the moment. It’s a behaviour modification tool. A way of dangling the possibility of no presents from Santa in order to get the Duplo picked up and the tantrums to cease.

This is why I’m not a huge fan of Santa. Santa is the god we invent for ourselves. He’s just like, well, every other god invented in history. Allah, Zeus, Vishnu, Baal – they all see you when you’re sleeping and know when you’re awake. They all wait for us to glow green before they dispense any kindness to us.
 
But when Jesus entered the womb of a woman, he turned that story completely upside down. His kindness is for those whose blinky baubles are only ever red. And he doesn’t just load us up with stuff and disappear. He comes as Emmanuel, God with us. He is the gift and the giver.
 
Now this is, of course, no judgement on you if your family does/has done the Santa thing. But some might suggest that what I’m calling for is a de-fantasised Christmas. I disagree. God most high has become God our brother. Phenomenal cosmic powers in an eeny peeny living space. The long-hoped for Prince has come. He slayed our dragon to rescue us and redeem the land and through his sacrifice death had started working backwards. That sounds pretty fantastic to me.  

grace and peace,

Steve

No Cold-Cases

Have you been following the case of Lyn Dawson? The mum who went missing in the early 80s and, it’s alleged, because of police mishandling her disappearance wasn’t treated as suspicious and investigated or prosecuted.
 
The case has received new attention thanks to the Teachers Pet podcast and a few days ago her husband was arrested for her murder. The story has been front page news every day this week and, I think, that’s because we’re wired to love stories of justice made aright.
 
One of the beautiful gifts of the gospel is to know that ours is a God of justice. That there are no cold-cases – the Lord of all will judge the world and, on that day, every mixed motive will be untangled, every secret laid bare.
 
Now I say beautiful, but it’s also terrifying, right? We want justice for the Lyn Dawson’s of this world, but the thought that the God who’s resources for scrutiny are limitless, who is able to know not just our actions but our thoughts would also cast his eye over our case can rattle us.
 
This Sunday we’re hosting Born is the King and I realised this week that Mary had a similar thought, actually. In her song in Luke 1:51 Mary sings, “He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.”
 
The God with a strong arm scatters those who are inwardly proud even if they are outwardly kind. Who could stand against that kind of condemnation?
 
This would be a disaster - except that in the previous verse she has also sung,
 
‘His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.’
 

grace and peace,

Steve

Smiling in the dark.

As people who exist in God’s world, we’re primed for stories of hope when all hope is lost. I think this is why the story of the Thai soccer boys trapped in the Tham Luang caves has gripped the world’s attention. For days, all the news could give us was images of discarded bikes and grieving parents – now we’re in that cautiously joyful state of knowing that rescue is possible. Pictures of the boys and their coach smiling in the dark and anticipating their rescue can’t help but give us uplift, even as we recognise the dangers that are to come.

What a terrific vignette of the Christian life. We were lost, hopeless and stranded. Cut off from the author of life. But rescue has come to us. At immense expense God came down into our darkness bearing light and bread and a way out. We can smile in the dark knowing that whatever dangers are in our immediate future, our rescuer is committed to bringing us into the light again.

I read today that missionaries in Thailand are asking us to pray for those exploring faith in the aftermath of this emergency. So, please join me in prayer for the nation of Thailand. Pray that the nine boys would be brought safely through the waters, and that through this event and the confident witness of His people many, many more would be brought into His magnificent light.

grace and peace,

Steve