The Best And The Worst
Difficult times bring out the best, and the worst, in people. During the 2019/2020 bushfires, we saw the best. As a nation we rallied around those in need and generously gave our time and resources.
During the COVID pandemic, and more specifically during this latest set of restrictions, we have seen some of the worst. It’s become clear to me that, contrary what we might like to think, people are essentially selfish. Perhaps that’s just the basic human survival instinct, but in practice it means we look out for number one, don’t care too much about how our actions impact on others, and value others based on what they can do for us. All this contradicts the basic principles underpinning life as part of a community - we work for the good of the whole, we act as if the needs of others are at least as important as our own, and we support the institutions that contribute to our collective well-being. We did this well during earlier COVID restrictions but now people are over the whole thing and the veneer of looking out for the needs of others is starting to slip. We are quick to attribute blame for the situation we find ourselves in, but slow to accept personal responsibility for our own breaches of the regulations because they were inconvenient, or we just couldn’t be bothered. We insist on our rights and freedoms, even though their exercise might put others at risk. This is the point where our sense of community, something we value in this town, begins to break down.
I recently finished preaching a series of sermons on the Old Testament Book of Judges where we saw all these things going on. There was a recurring phrase, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 17:6). God’s people were blaming the system for their situation. If only we could change the system of government, everything would be better. Guess what? They did, and nothing changed. The system wasn’t perfect. No human system of government is. But what these people were doing in blaming the system was trying to make this someone else’s problem. To my mind, the real issue was that no one was willing to take personal responsibility for the godliness, or the ungodliness, of their own lives. The result was homes in moral and spiritual confusion, a religious system in moral and spiritual confusion, and a society in moral and spiritual confusion. Isn’t that where we are now?
How did the people in the times of the Judges get into this mess? The bible says, “The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done… [but] another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done…” (Judges 2:7, 10). A generation had grown up without the solid spiritual foundations and framework for living their parents had. What was the solution? Simple. Take personal responsibility for getting those things back. These people needed to get to know God in a personal way again. That’s what we need as well. The bible says, “[God’s] divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of [Jesus] who called us by his own glory and goodness…” (2 Peter 1:3).
Neil Percival - Young District Anglican Ministry
www.ydam.com.au
During the COVID pandemic, and more specifically during this latest set of restrictions, we have seen some of the worst. It’s become clear to me that, contrary what we might like to think, people are essentially selfish. Perhaps that’s just the basic human survival instinct, but in practice it means we look out for number one, don’t care too much about how our actions impact on others, and value others based on what they can do for us. All this contradicts the basic principles underpinning life as part of a community - we work for the good of the whole, we act as if the needs of others are at least as important as our own, and we support the institutions that contribute to our collective well-being. We did this well during earlier COVID restrictions but now people are over the whole thing and the veneer of looking out for the needs of others is starting to slip. We are quick to attribute blame for the situation we find ourselves in, but slow to accept personal responsibility for our own breaches of the regulations because they were inconvenient, or we just couldn’t be bothered. We insist on our rights and freedoms, even though their exercise might put others at risk. This is the point where our sense of community, something we value in this town, begins to break down.
I recently finished preaching a series of sermons on the Old Testament Book of Judges where we saw all these things going on. There was a recurring phrase, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 17:6). God’s people were blaming the system for their situation. If only we could change the system of government, everything would be better. Guess what? They did, and nothing changed. The system wasn’t perfect. No human system of government is. But what these people were doing in blaming the system was trying to make this someone else’s problem. To my mind, the real issue was that no one was willing to take personal responsibility for the godliness, or the ungodliness, of their own lives. The result was homes in moral and spiritual confusion, a religious system in moral and spiritual confusion, and a society in moral and spiritual confusion. Isn’t that where we are now?
How did the people in the times of the Judges get into this mess? The bible says, “The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done… [but] another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done…” (Judges 2:7, 10). A generation had grown up without the solid spiritual foundations and framework for living their parents had. What was the solution? Simple. Take personal responsibility for getting those things back. These people needed to get to know God in a personal way again. That’s what we need as well. The bible says, “[God’s] divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of [Jesus] who called us by his own glory and goodness…” (2 Peter 1:3).
Neil Percival - Young District Anglican Ministry
www.ydam.com.au