One thing that stand out as we live at Grandmama's house is how my modern television looks out of place. For most of my life Grandmama had one of those large cabinet style tv's. I do not remember ever having to move one, but I have been told they were rarely stolen because they were so heavy! While the cabinet itself was huge, most cabinet televisions had a screen somewhere between 21 and 25 inches. Today a tv with a screen twice that size can be carried by one person. The thought of sitting around that old tv is certainly heartwarming, but the reality is that we are all glad the technology has allowed for bigger screens and lighter sets.
The longer we live the more our hearts seem torn between the new and the nostalgic. The latest technology makes certain tasks easier, but it always seems to make life more complicated. We used to sit around that cabinet tv with the picture slightly out of focus because the antenna on top of the house wasn't quite adjusted right, but our attention was firmly fixed on what we were watching. Now we have 65 inch, 4K quality with surround sound, yet in most homes you will find those around the tv actually looking down at their phone. One expert on technology wondered aloud if in 50 years it will take 3 or more screens to keep people entertained!
The philosophical concepts of modernism and rationalism taught that science, technology, and innovation would cure the societal ills that religion and tradition never could. The scientific disciplines have certainly brought many helpful innovations, but they have never been able to solve the deepest struggles of the human heart. There is no pill to take that overcomes guilt, no surgery to overcome regret, and though it has been tried, there is no program of study that can eradicate the problem of evil in the human heart. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can do that. Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin, rose from the grave to claim victory over death, and transforms the lives of all who put their trust in Him. This is not a new solution, rather it was planned "before the foundation of time. I am convinced it is the only hope a person has of living forever with God after they die. I am convinced it is the only hope to see our sin sick culture turn around. The well know hymn states:
I love to tell the story!
'Twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and His love.
Does this mean that God is against learning or progress? It does not. Proverbs 25:2 states "2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to investigate a matter. (CSB)" There is nothing man can discern that God did not know from the beginning. What we have to guard against is placing our hope in the limited and fallible disciplines of human discovery. Today let us rejoice in human innovation. Let us be thankful for modern medicine to make us well, the internet to keep us informed, and HVAC systems to keep us comfortable. But let us also rejoice in what is old, what is timeless. Let us rejoice in the good news that the eternal, perfect God so loved us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)!
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