A half century ago, on the list of required supplies for my advanced math course, was the cutting edge of technology (replacing the abacus)- a battery-powered pocket calculator! It cost a whopping $150 and was larger and weighed more than my current cell phone, which is, of course, not just a phone, but a communications system, a computer, a camera, a stereo, a filing system, a movie and games source, and, yes, a calculator capable of advanced math functions. By my estimate there are approximately a million other undiscovered devices wasting away in the dark, mysterious interior of this now-indispensable marvel of twenty-first Century technology in my hand. I blithely carry this incredible little gift with me everywhere I go (lest I miss some urgent message from the President or something equally critical to my existence). I also carry this incredible little gift with me everywhere I go with an astounding level of ignorance. When I see younger generations avidly searching their tiny screens and feverishly typing away on the miniature keyboard, all the while so engrossed they never look up even as they walk, I sometimes wonder how much they are knowing that I, too, need to be knowing (but, alas, never will be).
Nor is my ignorance limited to technology. I regularly hear in conversation, or read in an article, things I have never known, things so opaque I have never even considered researching (I’ll refrain from boring you with the lengthy list). At the same time, there are a great many things which I think I know. But here, too, I can be brought up short when someone, hearing me set forth my great wisdom, takes me aside to educate me on the finer details of my subject matter. Admittedly, it is comforting to know that I am not alone in this. Even in the Bible, there are examples of devout lovers of God who lacked understanding, who needed special revelation, who were unaware of their ignorance until God pointed it out to them. My favorite part is that God’s instruction/correction was not given as haughty, disapproving comeuppance, but gently, compassionately, sometimes with the playful, tongue-in-cheek of one who loves much. We’ll take a look tomorrow at 10 AM, 3 PM, 4 PM, at one of these Biblical examples to encourage us on our worship journey by seeing how God brought His light to dispel the darkness. PD
