Rev. Eric Anderson What I'm Thinking

What I’m Thinking: Recognizing Truth

People didn’t know what to think about Jesus or John the Baptist. How do we recognize those who tell us the truth?

Here’s a transcript:

I’m thinking about the eleventh chapter of Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30).

As Jesus himself observed, people didn’t know what to do or what to think about him and about his predecessor, John the Baptist. Jesus compared it to children in a village square singing, “We played the pipes for you and you would not dance. We wailed for you and you would not mourn.” Because John the Baptist, well, he was an ascetic and they said he had a demon. Jesus came along and he met with people. He ate and drank with them. And they said that he was a glutton and a drunkard and the friend of sinners.

What is one to do? How is one to meet expectations which are never quite defined, but mostly seem to come down to if you’re not behaving just like me, then you can’t possibly be somebody with a legitimate message from God. Isn’t that the case today? For this person and for that person, if the message doesn’t sound like something that they might say, well then it probably isn’t from God, now, is it?

I’m pretty sure that’s the case from me. I suspect it’s probably the case for you as well.

In a prayer, just a little further down the chapter, Jesus actually thanked God for the revelation coming to those not who were powerful or educated, those that you would expect to recognize the incarnation of God. Instead, the truth had been revealed to people like Simon Peter or James and John, day workers, fishermen, people who had not spent a lot of time learning and studying people who probably could not read at all.

The message of the good news in the end comes not to those who have prepared for it necessarily, but to those who are willing to embrace it. The message of the gospel comes to those who are willing to listen for truth and to accept it into their spirits when they do. The blessings of the gospel come not to those who have set themselves out as the arbiters of truth, but to those who can recognize it when it comes.

May that be said of you and of me.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.

Rev. Eric Anderson Pastor's Corner

Pastor’s Corner: Expectations

April 17, 2024

A few weeks ago I visited Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park with my camera – which is how I always visit Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park – and walked a trail I’d never walked before. Along the way I saw and heard a number of birds. They mostly flew in the treetops, which on that trail were pretty high, so I couldn’t be certain what birds I was seeing. I pointed my camera and I took pictures in the hope that I could identify them later when I got home.

In particular, I hoped to photograph an ‘amakihi.

I’ve seen them before; I’ve taken pictures of them before. It had been some time, however, since I’d seen or captured one. My trips to the park had won me a number of photos of ‘apapane, which I love. I came home from this particular trip with pictures of ‘apapane and a pair of nene that had decided to camp along Chain of Craters Road, which was delightful. I also believed that I’d finally photographed an ‘amakihi perched in a tree.

When I got home, I discovered that it was a mejiro, a wonderful bird to be sure, but not what I’d hoped.

Disappointment is a funny emotion. Mejiro are special birds. They’re mighty singers and they’re hard to spot. On most days, I’d be delighted to see one. On that day, however, I’d set my sights on an ‘amakihi, and as far as I could tell from the photos, hadn’t seen a single one. I was disappointed.

I don’t write this to say something like, “Always look on the bright side of life” (a la Monty Python). I write it to say that our moods and spirits depend on so many things, and one of the biggest is our goal or expectation. Realizing it, I managed to keep disappointment from becoming a deeper sadness.

It took two more trips to find an ‘amakihi, but I did it. I didn’t see any nene that day, though.

In peace,

Pastor Eric

Photo of an ‘amakihi (two trips later) by Eric Anderson.