"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" Matthew 7:3
So for Christmas my wife gave me a major surprise when she got me a smartwatch. It's really cool. It can answer the phone, take pictures, shoot video and keep track of all kinds of stuff. When I opened the present on Christmas day I excitedly said, "Awesome! A Dick Tracy watch!" Immediately, all three boys said, "Huh?" "A Dick Tracy watch!" I said in disbelief. "You know the detective guy!" They just stared. I then tried to explain who Dick Tracy was. All I could think of was, "He was a comic strip character with a two-way radio watch and fought a guy named 'Big Boy.'" "Huh. OK." They said. Oh you've got to be kidding me! A whole generation has lost the magic of what it was to be a Dick Tracy fan. The intense battles. The weird villains. The cliffhangers in the comic strip. Even the pretty bad movie with Warren Beatty. The yellow hat. The crazy sidekicks. How in the world could I ever describe the film nor feel that the comic strip brought?
Or the subtle satirical humor present in the overly alliterated names? As I was reaching for words to tell them of a great and wondrous world where justice prevailed and the bad guys always got their due because of the efforts of modern forensic science, all I could think of was, "It's like CSI but better." How many times in life do we come up short with the words when we're trying to explain our feelings about something? If you know who Dick Tracy is, you know what I'm talking about.
But try to explain Dick Tracy to a group of teenagers. The same thing happens to us in our spiritual lives as well. We know the feeling of comfort we receive during worship. We know the blessed assurance we have during times of grief. We know what it means to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. But try explaining it. All you'll get is a smug, "huh" and a frowny face. If someone asked you to describe God to them, what would you say? How could you express your feelings in such a way for them to understand? Hey. I wonder if my watch can answer that question. Let me check. Six-two and even, over and out.
Let us pray.
Our gracious God. We know that sometimes it's hard to tell your story. Give us the words we need and show us the actions we should do today to spread your Gospel to those around us. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
PASTOR TROY CONRAD IS MINISTER OF THE FARMINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH.
Religion on 01/28/2015