Wednesday, September 21, 2022

 

Wednesday, September 21, 2022


Psalm 50

Nahum 3:8-19

Ephesians 5:6-20


Observance: Matthew, apostle, evangelist and martyr


Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit...


The Silence of the Lambs, a brilliant (and disturbing) psychological thriller starring Anthony Hopkins, contains a conversation from where the title of the movie gets its name. It is revealed that the evil man under examination performs his evil deeds in an attempt to silence the sound of crying lambs that he constantly hears in his head.


Paul has claimed that everyone, to some degree, has the same experience. Rejecting the true God and following a lie results in a life that cannot really be called a life; always running away from the truth, the pagan unbeliever needs to “silence the lambs” in their head one way or another. We see this today: consider for example the recent twin explosions of popularity in yoga and mindfulness. As Christians, we have a very good reason for settling our souls and filling our mind with the knowledge of God. Without Christ, who is through all things, these practises are merely “empty words”. Before Australia had yoga and mindfulness, we had alcohol. This is a universal experience, too. I think we can see in this passage that even Paul himself was no stranger of the bottle.


In the same sentence, he moves from drunken debauchery to Sunday morning worship. This suggests two things about Paul: firstly, he knew what it was like to party like a pagan. Secondly, his Sunday worship services must have been even better. This is what he is doing here: he is holding up the pagan unbeliever's drinking session as a poor imitation of Sunday worship.


A wise preacher has been attempting to popularise the term “Christian hedonism”. These words together as a phrase suggest something of what Paul is trying to teach us here. We live in light, in the truth, in a right relationship with God, and God loves us very much. This is a wonderful way to be. Living this way makes every breath and movement an act of joy and love in this reality we now live in. It is the only way to be. It is the perfect existence.





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