Prone to Wander
It is very tempting to forget that the Church is not, never has been, and never will be about our own entertainment. In almost every other area of our modern internet-equipped lives, we get to choose what we want to hear. Our smartphones, computers, radios, and televisions custom fit our entertainment and information to our personal preferences. If we do not like what we are hearing, we can simply change the channel.
As Cristopher Ash puts it, “One reason people have stopped coming to listen to sermons is that, if they come for entertainment, they can find better entertainment elsewhere. It is rare for a sermon to be able to rival the special effects of a Batman or a Bond, or the brilliant script-writing of The West Wing. Most preachers are bound to fail, and mistaken to try.” (Christopher Ash, Listen Up)
We were warned that seeking entertainment would be a temptation for us, as Paul warned Timothy, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 ESV) The temptation is that we will turn away from the difficult truths that we need to hear and surround ourselves with messages that we want to hear. Technology has only increased that temptation.
According to the National Library of Medicine, the average human attention span is only 8.25 seconds, which is less than the 9-second attention span of a goldfish! There are many contributing factors to this, but it does not diminish the fact that we are encouraged to endure sound teaching. We all need to keep listening to the truth, acknowledging that listening to sermons is not about making us happy, or helping us feel good about ourselves, or forgetting our problems. I think one powerful way to fight the temptation to seek entertainment is to grow in our capacity to be still and listen to God’s voice.
There has probably never been a more appropriate (and yet difficult) time in our lives to take a spiritual fast from technology. You read that correctly, I said fast, like we would think of fasting from food. When King David quotes God’s desire for us to, “Be still, and know that I am God;” (Psalm 46:10a ESV) he was saying something powerful that can be very helpful for us today. Turning off our distractions, silencing our phones (during a church service), or leaving them in the car might be the first steps in helping us to hear His voice more clearly.
Expectantly,
Shawn
