It seems so archaic now, but we used to have a saying, “Oh, that person is not in the real world,” as if there was a real world and other derivatives. That certainly can’t be said in today’s world. We have a tendency to live in echo chambers declaring our own version of the real world. The metaverse is just around the corner, and with it a whole new set of realities through VR. It’s dizzying.
These various realities were brought to mind yesterday as we conducted our mid-term primary elections. We have been carping about election fraud and the need for partisan election observers to ensure election integrity. Never mind that the firm conducting the Maricopa county election audit in AZ determined statistically prior to the audit that there were 282 deceased people who had voted (and who knows what else was there to be found). The audit, the first ever conducted by this firm, found, I’ll be darned, 282 deceased people had voted. As a follow up, an audit of those deceased persons was conducted. It was found that 280 of those people were actually pre-deceased, the majority of whom were quite surprised to find they were “dead.” Other “evidence” of fraud was also debunked. The election was found to be fair and accurate in at least one real world (Full disclosure, it is the world in which I live.).
So, I was a bit apprehensive as I drove up to the poll. Would there be poll watchers? Would there be vigilantes, checking credentials prior to entrance? I found what I suspect you found; the real world showed up yesterday. The polls were fast, friendly, and the process was the same as always. The votes were counted and the elections called. As of this writing, there has been no reports of mass fraud and stolen elections. Funny, we can conduct good elections as primaries but not as general elections? Another world in play, I guess. And, with you know who silent, things went pretty well.
Sunday, we begin a four week look at the letter known as “Hebrews.” We’ll start right where we should start, chapter 11. As the chapter begins, the author talks about faith as the basis for the reality in which we live, move, and have our being. It is Christ’s work on the cross, God’s work in the tomb, and Christ’s continued work before the throne of grace, according to this writer, that forms and maintains ultimate reality. The only reality we need to attend to is this: "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” In this affirmation, Jesus is vindicated and his teaching confirmed. Love of God and love of neighbor are the entirety of our response to Jesus. The rest is noise.
As we move now into the brutal phase of the mid-term election cycle, remember that lots of realities will be offered. Most will come with agendas and ulterior motives. Drown out the noise, listen for the call of Jesus, and love. God’s grace cannot be overcome. This is the real world.
See you Sunday,
Paul
To respond directly to Pastor Paul, email him at nbumcpastor@gmail.com, or contact him at 816-724-0080
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