Many Americans are star struck, enamored with stardom. It is like we idolize celebrities, to include animated and fictional characters. Hollywood stars are put ahead of the heroes of faith, as mentioned in the book of Hebrews. Sport celebrities are stronger figures in our mind than people of the Bible, like Samson. In the 60s we had the groupies, going public by the Rolling Stone culture. The women idolized these stars and were elevated in status by how many stars she had slept with. While we may not use the term anymore, the practice is the same. Following are various categories of “super stars.”
• Sport heroes—look at what we pay them, along with buying their brands. USA Today published an article, ESPN ranks the 100 most famous athletes, the top ten were listed. In order they are Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Kevin Durant, Rafael Nadal, Stephen Curry, and Phil Mickelson.
• Movie stars—does their role in society greater than someone like Mother Teresa? She didn’t perform in a staged script, she performed in real time.
I have a relative that is infatuated with Daniel O’Donnell, a popular Irish singer. She faithfully goes to his performances. She has bought at least, if not all, of his CDs and books. She had planned a trip to Ireland, to see his house and following him around. If her husband, I would feel as if my wife was having a fantasy affair.
• Animated characters—those like Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Seven, Hans, Olaf, Marshmallow, the Duke of Weselton, Oaken, all from the Walt Disney movie Frozen. You can go to the Disney blog and find biographical information for these characters. You can buy dolls, DVDs, books, and a host of other items.
• Virtual reality games are often the center of conversation with students. Research is raising concern about the negative effects of social media and video games.
The results of the study showed that generally, there was a significant difference between the social skills of students addicted to computer games and normal students. In addition, the results indicated that normal students had a higher level of social skills in comparison with students addicted to computer games. (Comparing the Social Skills of Students Addicted to Computer Games with Normal Students, NCBI, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905509/”
While attempting to help a student who had no friends, he told me, “People don’t need friends. They have Fortnite.” Really?
This celebrity worship falls under an obsessive addictive disorder, CWS—Celebrity Worship Syndrome. Another term used for this is sycophant,
A sycophant, as described by the Merriam Webster dictionary is “a person who praises powerful people in order to get their approval.” And charismatic celebrities can make sycophants from even the most grounded of us, who will throw away all self-respect and exhibit “fawning” behavior when in the presence of a famous person. The problem begins when fans over identify with celebrities. It is an obsessive addictive disorder in which a person becomes overly involved with the details of a celebrity's personal and professional life.
We may chuckle; however, this is serious. The University of Leicester’s Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behavior developed the Celebrity Attitude Scale.
Scoring suggested by Maltby, J., Day, L., McCutcheon, L.E., Houran, J. & Ashe, D. (2006). Extreme celebrity worship, fantasy proneness and dissociation: Developing the measurement and understanding of celebrity worship within a clinical personality context. Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 273-283.
Film director Martin Scorsese described how he sees the fan’s out-of-whack attachment to celebrities:
You really get to love them. They don’t know you. But you love them. But you love, I think, what you imagine they are. You put more into the person to a certain extent than they may even be giving out on the screen, because they represent a dream. You lose yourself in those people.
Finally when you do “satisfy the request of a fan,” after saying a few things—after [they] say, “I really loved your last film. I thought you were great. You really meant a lot to me.” Well, like what’s next? Ultimately what do they want? What do they want from you?
http://www.slopemedia.org/stop-idolizing-celebrities/
I call it living in La La Land, a fantasy world.
We may chuckle; however, this is serious. The University of Leicester’s Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behavior developed the Celebrity Attitude Scale.
Scoring suggested by Maltby, J., Day, L., McCutcheon, L.E., Houran, J. & Ashe, D. (2006). Extreme celebrity worship, fantasy proneness and dissociation: Developing the measurement and understanding of celebrity worship within a clinical personality context. Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 273-283.
Religious leaders are not immune—too many times we elevate clergy to a position right below God, sometimes listening to their slogans and misrepresentation of Scripture as if they get words direct from God. Joel Osteen is a perfect example, he has one house that cost $10.5 million and another valued at $2.9 million. His teaching is rooted in Pentecostalism and he teaches the prosperity gospel, name-it-claim-it theology, and relativism that, I believe, demonstrates a poor understanding of the Bible, specifically Jesus’ model of servanthood. The website, Got Question, makes this comment about him,
Osteen’s message is sweet, attractive, and pretty. It comes with the million-dollar smile, a heaping helping of the feel-goods, and all of the motivation of the best self-help gurus. That message is also hollow, weak, and devoid of any real value. The most important parts of the gospel are left out, supposedly to broaden his ministry’s appeal. Anyone depending on that message, without recognizing what’s missing, is going to find himself spiritually hungry, frustrated, and in dire straits when a real disaster strikes.
And, then there is another. In a Bible study I gave a brief criticism of Beth Moore’s theology and you would have thought I had criticized Paul. Interestingly, she says this of Paul.
She advocates that many passages from the Bible are figurative and she uses relativistic theology (I say that Lightly). Similarly, to Joel Osteen, her followers don’t critique or defend her biblical interpretation of Scripture; they champion her pragmatic interpretation that appeals to the heart and encouragement for women she says are insecure. Following is a comment she made about Paul.
Do you think just maybe he protests too much? In all probability, he fought the awful feeling that he wasn’t as good as the others who hadn’t done nearly so much wrong. I totally grasp that. At the same time, Paul also battled a big, fat ego. He was a complex mound of clay just like the rest of us, belittling and boasting of himself in a dizzying psychological zigzag.” (Moore, Beth. So Long Insecurity: You’ve Been a Bad Friend to Us.)
It appears she is guilty of that which she accuses Paul. My assessment is that she is anti-intellectual toward well educated theologians, those of us schooled to study Hebrew and Greek. At best, she speaks as an inspirational speaker who has few theological tools for arcuately providing an exposition of Scripture. Perhaps she feels insecure but enjoys popularity by mocking those she accuses of intellectual snobbery.
And there is John Chau, who was shot and killed by arrows attempting to gain access to an island by breaking the law. In 2016, already planning a reality TV episode, he told a friend he was intentionally avoiding becoming romantically involved; “He didn’t want any hearts to get broken should something go wrong. He was very much aware of what he was doing. He also knew it wasn’t exactly legal.”
Chau was a graduate of Oral Roberts University, a Christian college in Oklahoma. He was known to spend summers alone in a California cabin as a wilderness emergency responder, led backpacking expeditions in the Northwest’s Cascade Mountains, almost lost his leg to a rattlesnake bite and coached soccer for poor children in Iraq and South Africa.
“I have never known a more courageous, selfless, compassionate man and friend,” said Bobby Parks, a former director of Oral Roberts University's department of missions and outreach. “John lived and gave his life to share the love of Jesus with everyone.” (American on 'misplaced adventure' killed by hostile tribe on remote island) Yet, Renee Graham makes the following observation. In the article, Missionary didn’t die from tribesmen’s arrows. He was killed by his own arrogance, she says,
Some Christian compatriots have already anointed Chau as “a martyr.” He’s not. He did not die in defense of his religion. Instead he made a fatal miscalculation in deciding that his way and his God were the only acceptable path. He cared more for his flawed ideas about saving souls than about respecting lives. (Renee Graham, Boston Globe)
I want to believe most of these who ascribe to stardom have a heart for God; however, I fear they too often let their enthusiasm exceed their wisdom.
Some have attempted to elevate Mary, the mother of Jesus, beyond celebrity status. Here are some of the views.
1. She was born without original sin and didn’t sin
2. Pope Leo XIII in Rosary of Mary said: "She was, in very truth, the Mother of the Church, the teacher and Queen of the Apostles ..." (p. 129). So, the infant church was "directed ... by her" (p. 115) [116].
3. St. Antoninus is quoted as saying: "God has placed the whole Church, not only under the patronage, but even under the dominion of Mary." - Glories, p. 155 [pp. 11,12]
"Because of her consent to accept the office of Mother of the Redeemer, and also because of her merits in intimately sharing the sufferings of her Divine Son for the salvation of mankind, the Blessed Virgin is given the title of Co-Redemptrix of the human race" - Baltimore Catechism, p. 49.
I am not a celebrity name dropper; however, I am deeply concerned how we elevate Christian teachers and clergy to superstardom, following them as if they have some transcendent power greater than the average Christian. Here are some basic guidelines a true biblical scholar uses when preparing a lesson or sermon; the list is only a portion of hermeneutical tools to use.
1. Let scripture interpret Scripture,
2. The meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph must be derived from the context.
3. Interpret the Scriptures knowing that the goal in interpretation is not to discover hidden, secret truths, or to be unique in your interpretation
4. Interpret the Scriptures literally unless you have good reason to believe that they are figurative.
We must do what Paul encouraged Timothy to do, “Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul.” 2 Timothy 2:15-16 MSG Servants do not esteem for wealthy or popularity, they humbly proclaim, in word and action, the Word of God.
So, what do we do when it comes to the various characters, we read about in the Christmas story. How are we to view them? Did they live in La La Land or were they living on a real-life stage?
Suppose you were there as the parade of the characters of the Christmas story arrived (they didn’t really come at the same time), with whom would you want to connect?
• Herod–That wicked old toad squatting on the throne of Israel,
insanely jealous lest a baby steal his glory.
• The Magi–The Wise Men from the East. Who were they? Where did they come from? Were they astrologers? How did they know about the Star?
• The Innkeeper–I can see him in my mind’s eye. A good man, harried, frustrated to turn away business. Did he ever discover who he turned away?
• The Shepherds–Here’s something you probably didn’t know. Nearly all the shepherds in modern Israel are teenagers–many of them girls. There is every reason to think that the shepherds were not the old men of tradition but teenagers who were 15 or 16 years old.
• Other stars—Anna the prophetess. Simeon who took the baby Jesus in his arms and blessed his parents.
• Mary—Luke wrote his story about her. Wouldn’t you like to meet the mother of Jesus? I would.
• Joseph—a young man is quickly disappearing from the scene?
• The Angels—Gabriel, who announced the conception of Mary? The heavenly host of angels, who sang “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth to men on whom his favor rests”?
I find it interesting how little attention is given to Joseph. Why? Who was he? If you were to make a list, beginning with the most important, of all the characters in the Christmas story, where would you place Joseph? In each movie or sports team, we always find those who are easily forgotten. Janet can tell you; I am not a celebrity fan—that is why I mostly like animated movies. Think about your favorite football team; look how the quarterback is glorified, as if he wins the game. What about a lineman, the person play after play who serves as one of the most important players? What about the water boy?
Anyway, who is Joseph? Does he play an important role in the Christmas Story? I think so. If I could talk with only one of the characters, I think I would choose him! He has an incredible story to tell. This young man can teach us much about humbly following God.
If I was a reporter, I would love to have a sit-down interview for all to hear. Better yet, I would direct a documentary about his life. To date we know little about him, at least we don’t pay much attention to what we do know about him. Look at most hymnals and you will note he is never mentioned. There is a verse in “Angels We Have Heard on High” that is omitted in hymnals that makes a reference to him.
1. Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o'er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.
Refrain
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
2. Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song? Refrain
3. Come to Bethlehem and see
Him1 whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King. Refrain
4. See Him in a manger laid,
Whom the choirs of angels praise;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While our hearts in love we raise.2 Refrain
Joseph sluffed off as not that important. Yet, he has a very personal story to tell. Here is a brief biography he could put on his resume.
• He was the son of Jacob, in the lineage of David,
• He was a carpenter,
• He was a poor man, he was only able to present a turtledove when he and Mary brought Jesus to the temple. That is what a person would do when they couldn’t afford to bring a lamb.
• He strived to be a faithful follower of his Jewish faith—the Bible calls him a devout man.
• He was a very young man, perhaps no older than 17-years-old.
In the Jewish tradition, parents would arrange for most marriages, with or without a couple’s consent. However, the couple respected the contract agreed upon by their parents. Joseph’s parents, like Joseph, face an embarrassing situation. Due to his devotion to his faith, Joseph’s parents surely felt good about the engagement. Upon the signing of the contract, Joseph looked forward to a full wedding one year later.
To the Jew, the pledge to each other had connotations of marriage, except the couple didn’t live together.
The sacredness of the human body has been greatly diminished, that means that waiting for marriage to become sexually active is no longer meaningful. In the Judeo-Christian faith, waiting until marriage to become sexually active was a way to respect the sacredness of life. They Bible speaks of this sacred union.
Genesis 2:24-25(MSG)
23-25The Man said, “Finally! Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh!
Name her Woman for she was made from Man.” Therefore, a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh. The two of them, the Man and his Wife, were naked, but they felt no shame.
Matthew 19:5-6 (MSG)
4-6 He answered, “Haven’t you read in your Bible that the Creator originally made man and woman for each other, male and female? And because of this, a man leaves father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh—no longer two bodies but one. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”
Ephesians 5:31-33 (MSG)
29-33 No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh.” This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. An this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and each wife is to honor her husband.
In an article, This Is What Really Happens When You Wait Until Marriage to Have Sex, there is a subline, Women discuss why they decided to not have sex until they tied the knot—and what happened once they did the deed.
On average, American women first have intercourse at 17.2 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most recent available data shows that as of 2013, 89.1 percent of married women had engaged in premarital sex.
My experience of working with women who have been raped I hear them talking about how, they lose something sacred, something taken from their soul. Something they did not want to give. Many remember their first love, leaving a piece of their heart with that person. In sexual union two people are bonded together in a unique manner.
That is what Joseph had longed for as he looked forward to the wedding bells. The engagement period is a time to get to know each other. It is a time to learn how to relate. It is a time to evaluate each other’s faith, making sure it is compatible. It is a time to test commitment and faithfulness. If these things don’t work prior to marriage, what is it going to look like down the road?
The divorce rate in America is staggering:
• Approximately 50 percentage of marriages end in divorce.
• 60 percent of second marriages end in divorce.
• 73 percent of all third marriages end in divorce.
• This picture is askew when considering the percentage of people getting married has decreased over the years.
• Ben Steverman wrote an article titled, Millennials are Causing the U.S. Divorce Rate to Plummet, with a subline, “They’re waiting until all is secure”.
• While he may be accurate, many are living together prior to marriage. Statistics report that 60 percent of couples who live together will not go on to get married either because they break up (39 percent) or just continue to live together (21 percent).
• Cohabiting couples had a separation rate five times that of married couples and a reconciliation rate that was one-third that of married couples.
• Cohabiting couples are more likely to experience infidelity.
• Compared to those planning to marry, those cohabiting have an overall poorer relationship quality. They tend to have more fighting and violence and less reported happiness.
• Cohabiting couples earn less money and are less wealthy than their married peers later in life.
• Compared to married individuals, those cohabiting have higher levels of depression and substance abuse. (Sheri Stritof, Essential Cohabitation Facts and Statistics)
Therein lies Joseph’s dilemma: his integrity as a Jew was at stake, his dream of having a courtship to get to know Mary is dashed, and he is soon going to have to provide for a baby.
I know how it impacts a woman, more so than most men, to have a baby when the father bails out for their selfish dreams. In the Christmas story we know Joseph wasn’t the father of this baby.
Step into his role, into his sandals. What is it like? What faith lesson do we learn?
YOU ARE A TEENAGER WITH THE DREAM OF MOVING FROM ENGAGEMENT TO MARRIAGE. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR DREAM IS DASHED?
Pick up the script. As you stand there in the character of Joseph, what are you thinking about? What kind of emotions are swimming around in your amygdala—the brain’s storehouse of sensory memories? You are thinking about your parents. What is it like to inform them about Mary being pregnant? What about her parents? What are they experiencing?
• Anger
• Confusion
• Frustration
• Embarrassment
• Disappointment
• Shame
To add to the stress is the fact you are devoted to the laws of morality based upon what we now know as the Old Testament. You know exactly what you are required to do. However, you have empathy and you are thinking about your reputation—you have a promising future.
You are still struggling with what you have learned. You start thinking about your bride to be who has cheated on you. Your mind is racing. You love her, but she has deeply hurt you. From those human thoughts and feelings, you decide to live with the tension of love for her and obeying the Law and moving forward with your dreams.
18-19 The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
You are very confused; this is not the script you had come to believe was written by your divine Creator. Yet, you discover you were given an interactive script. Right when you are experiencing despair you feel no one has ever experienced, something unexpected happen.
First, it seems like a nightmare. Was it a nightmare, dream, or had God given you another chapter for your life?
20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic sermon to full term:
Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).
You wake up trying to figure out what happened. You are very familiar with the signs of the visitation of an angel. You have a tingling sensation, goosebumps running over your body. You feel like there is a reassuring hand on your heart. As you open your eyes, there is a white feather laying on your chest. It wasn’t a nightmare, God has spoken.
Yet, with the spirit of William Borden recorded in his Bible, No Reserve, No Retreat, No Regrets. Written when consciously aware his call to be a missionary was stronger than the money from the Borden Enterprise.
Paul, inspired by stars like you, would write, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” (1 Thess. 5:19) You decide to let the purpose of God override your plans. Why?
With humility, you move your mind moves away from the thoughts of Mary being unfaithful. You discover your love for her and God runs deep. Your shame goes away. Little do you know that a man sitting in prison because of his deep resolve that Mary’s child is the true Messiah, would draw from your resolve and demeanor. John later wrote, “
29-30 “That’s why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.” John 3:30 MSG)
Now what is your role? It isn’t the script you had written out for yourself. Because of the new vision for your life, you step out on the stage. You are as nervous as a child in a Christmas play at church, “The Star and Stars of Christmas.” You are in center stage!
• You marry Mary and provide a home for her, even though she is not bearing your child,
• This means you break Jewish Law,
• Driven by a desire to protect God’s vision against slander, waiting for God to reveal His Son,
• You give your Son a name reflecting your willingness to take him as your legal son, and
• In your vow to Mary, you provide a loving home for her—with all that entails.
As you begin to exit the stage, everyone gives you a standing ovation. Instead of bowing to the recognition, you go to your knees and point toward heaven. Only you can hear God whispering in your ear, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful.” You exit the stage, knowing you have done the right thing.
Conclusion:
There is a time to be strong and tender, at the same time, in response to God’s call. We must put his purpose first. That takes strong resolve! Yet, it is in the act of following God’s call, you discover the love you have for God and others. Standing in the sandals of Joseph we wonder, is it possible? Can I be like Joseph?
• Am I tough-minded, determined to do what is right no matter what it costs?
• Do I have a tender spirit? With my children? With my parents? With my spouse? With my neighbor? With my co-workers? With the homeless?
• Am I thoughtful, taking time to make important decisions? Will I surrender my self-centered will and impulsive thinking? Determined that I will stay true to my higher calling?
• Am I a trusting person, trusting in God, especially when I can’t figure things out with my brilliant mind?
• Am I willing to stand in honor of the Christ Child and sing songs of joy?
Oh! To be able to dream!
There was an article in The Guardian, Stevie Wonder: 'I never thought of being blind and black as a disadvantage'. In the article he is quoted saying,
"I'm always optimistic, but the world isn't. People need to make a jump to a place of positivity but they put it all on one person to make it happen," he says. "It takes everybody. And the mindset has to be different. I mean, how do we have, in 2012, racism in the world?"
The song, "When You Wish Upon A Star", first appeared in Disney's feature length animated classic "Pinocchio". It was sung by the character Jiminy Cricket (voiced by actors Cliff Edwards) and written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington. The song won an Academy Award in 1940 for Best Original Song as well as the 7th greatest song in film history by the American Film Institute. In 2009 the Library of Congress deemed it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and included it in the National Recording Registry. (Matthew Gallagher, Former artist at The Walt Disney Co.). Stevie Wonder often sang the song.
When You Wish Upon a Star
When a star is born
They possess a gift or two
One of them is this:
They have the power to make a dream come true
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you
Now if your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longings, oh yeah
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
When you wish upon a star
Robert Schuller wrote, “There is no dream to big for God.” To reframe his statement, to see it another way, we are never to small for the purpose of God. Aw! To wish upon a Star.
Here is my question for us today (holding up the sandals), does the choices you make mean you will step into these. Our choices should reflect the same kind of resolve and commitment as seen in Joseph’s choice.
