In an article entitled “2021 Ram 1500: Car and Driver 10 Best (November 18, 2020),” an unexpected line caught me so off-guard I really did laugh out loud.
I test drove all the big truck manufacturers’ options, foreign and domestic, before I made my purchase a few years ago. In an attempt to be a good steward with the resources the Lord provides, my wife and I chose to purchase a newer, used model to cut our overall cost.
We ended up with a model, perhaps a couple years old, with nearly everything we wanted. We ultimately spent about half of what we would on a brand-new one, which start at $70,000.
Although we were very impressed with the ride, features, room, comfort, and quality of the RAM, we didn’t go with that brand. It wasn’t because we wouldn’t have been happy with it, but because none with all the equipment, features, etc., we wanted were available at the time within our budget.
Even with the one we ended up purchasing, we still had to sacrifice not getting some equipment and features we wanted. But we settled on the best we could get, and we’ve been quite pleased with it.
Still, I remain impressed with the RAM 1500 -- especially the 2021 model with the little diesel motor and the advanced towing package. It can tow up to 12,560 pounds and gets up to 33 mpg on the highway! That’s impressive all by itself.
The crazy thing is the engine was actually developed by a subsidiary of General Motors, but that’s another story which would take up too much time here -- this is a religious column, not an automotive review one. Let’s get to why I brought all this up in the first place.
In the Car and Driver article which praises the RAM 1500, it highlights the ride quality. What caught me off guard and made me laugh out loud was this line, “At 70 mph, it’s as quiet as the church during the Super Bowl.”
In my mind that’s funny in a couple ways. It’s also a sad commentary on our modern churches. It’s true that “all comedy is born out of tragedy,” that’s what makes this line so funny: It’s a tragedy.
Why would a church be quiet on Super Bowl Sunday? Is it empty? If the service is going on, during the Super Bowl, are people watching their phones instead of engaging in the service? Either way, if the churches are extra quiet on Super Bowl Sunday, it says something about people’s real commitment, doesn't it?
Look, I’ve been a Seattle Seahawks season ticket holder since 2003. I love football and anyone who knows me knows this. Even as a season ticket holder, I chose to never go to Sunday morning home games. The most abundant games are the Sunday morning games, so that means season after season I did not use most of my tickets (mostly traded for night games). As a church leader who influences many, how could I? If the preacher skips church for football games, all other church-going football fans would feel emboldened to do the same. So, I couldn’t do it in good conscience (James 4:17).
When we see a person trip and fall, we tend to laugh. It’s funny. However, it is a tragedy -- especially if they’re hurt. “All comedy is born out of tragedy.”
When we laugh that something is as “quiet as a church during the Super Bowl,” we confirm again that “all comedy is born out of tragedy.” But how can we improve our reputation in this matter? What must we do to demonstrate we are committed more than we appear to be? Do we need to reevaluate our priorities?
Scripture is clear: “Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer. No sacrifices can be made for people who decide to sin after they find out about the truth. They are God’s enemies, and all they can look forward to is a terrible judgment and a furious fire (Hebrews 10:25-27, CEV).”
As we navigate through these unprecedented times with all the social distancing and social gathering regulations, it’s not easy to demonstrate a commitment of meeting, regularly with other Christians.
However, we can use modern technology to stay connected as best we can. No matter what is going on in the world, let’s commit to being loyal to God. Let’s not give the world more reasons to laugh at our tragic failures to demonstrate a genuine faith.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we can do better.
•••
Pastor Jeff Adams is a professional Christian counselor who travels the world teaching but serves our community. His column appears weekly. He can be reached by email at jeffreydadams@hotmail.com.
March 13, 2021
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Finding Reason: It's Funny and Tragic, and We Can Do Better - Nisqually Valley News
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