Kenneth L. Samuel: Trivia Take Over

"Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married... and they said: 'Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?'" - Numbers 12:1-2

One Sunday morning our church ushers noticed a man standing right at the front door.  They opened the door and invited him in. "No thanks," he replied.  I'm just chasing Pokemon."

The Olympic Games this summer should have remained focused on the astounding performances of the athletes and on the resiliency of the country that struggled to overcome a host of odds to even host the Games. But for a disturbing period, the spotlight was stolen by the fabrications of one athlete who concocted trumped up charges against the Brazilian police.

At a non-partisan, city-wide clergy luncheon, convened to rally support for voter registration and voter turn-out during this critical election season, one cleric went to the podium and railed for 20 minutes against what he called 'The Abomination of Gay Marriage.'

And in the wake of Israel's epic deliverance from Egyptian bondage and at the doorstep of Israel's wondrous entry into the Promised Land, the sister and brother of Moses come together to question the leadership of Moses because they didn't like the fact that Moses married a black woman from Ethiopia.

Trivial pursuits may interest certain persons, but when they become our public preoccupation and cause us to miss the majors in pursuit of the minors... we find ourselves perpetually drowning in the kiddie pool.

Why do we allow gossip to overshadow the gospel?  How did our obsession with personal portfolios become more paramount than the establishment of just public policy?   

Derailments cause costly delays....

Prayer

Lord, there are weapons of mass distraction aimed against us.  Give us discernment.

From UCC's StillSpeaking devotionals