Rev. Lin Smalec Salem Church, Waynesboro, PA
TRUE REALITY - AMERICAN IDOL
23 October 2005
One of the most popular types of TV shows today are reality shows. Many of us have become caught up in the drama and excitement of shows like American Idol, Extreme Makeover, The Amazing Race, and Survivor. And even the reality shows of lesser quality can be addictive - how many of us have tuned in for at least one episode of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, or American Princess?
The premise behind all of these shows is that they are not scripted - these are not actors featured in the show, but real people put into unreal circumstances. Part of the attraction of the reality shows is how these normal people react in such abnormal situations. We can relate with many of the competitors, because they are usually people like us. I know as a fan of Survivor, I often watch the show and imagine how I would react if I was left on a deserted island with a bunch of strangers, forced to compete as a team and individually, not only to win a bunch of money, but even just to survive the experience!
But one thing that we sometimes forget is that reality TV is not reality! Reality is defined as “the fact, state or quality of being real or genuine”. (1) Reality TV shows may be unscripted and the characters may not be actors, but that does not mean that the show is not heavily edited, and the situations are set up by the directors in order to make the show more entertaining. Reality TV is not truly real or genuine! But reality TV can be instructive for us as we examine true reality - that which is real and genuine for us as Christians living in God’s world. So this morning we will begin our study of true reality by looking at the smash hit “American Idol”
How many of you have ever watched “American Idol”? For those who haven’t, let me describe the show. “American Idol” began on the Fox network in June 2002, as an adaptation of a popular English show called “Pop Idol”. Months before the show airs, there are tryouts held in cities across the nation. Thousands of people who think they can sing come out for the tryouts. Frankly, it is the tryouts that I find most amusing, and the only part of this show that I really watch when I can. Some of these poor people are clueless - they think they have great talent, and are truly surprised when they are told “no, thank you!”
Out of the thousands of tryouts, 120 are selected to go before the infamous judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul. Thirty semifinalists are then chosen to actually compete in the show. They are divided into groups of 10, and each week one group sings on the show. The TV audience calls or text messages in to vote for their favorite three from that group. After three are selected from each group of 10, the judges select one other person to be a “wild-card” competitor. These 10 finalists then go into the most intense part of the competition. Each week they are given a specific style of music in which they must perform. The judges are brutal in their feedback, and the TV audience gets to vote for their favorites. Each week the person with the fewest votes is eliminated, until, in the grand finale, one person is selected as the newest “American Idol”, and given a lucrative recording contract.
While the show can be entertaining, it is the title of the show that fascinates me. “American Idol”. What is an idol? An idol is defined as “an image representing a god and worshipped as divine” or “one who is loved or admired to an excessive degree”. (1) It is of course this second definition that applies to the music contest of “American Idol”.
But can we, as Christians, hear the phrase “American Idol” without hearing an echo in our hearts and minds of God’s words in the Ten Commandments - “You shall have no other gods before Me”? (Exodus 20:3) Now when God spoke these words to the ancient people of Israel, He was concerned that they would follow foreign gods, building statues and images of them to bow down to and worship.
But idols can take many forms. You see, idols of all kinds can take our attention from God and they can take our energy away from Godly things. The essence of idolatry is misguided worship of things and people other than God, and misguided gratitude for what we experience or achieve. Idolatry is turning to the world for help rather than to God. Idolatry is putting other people or things on the same level as God.
When we look at our culture, we see a number of things that are modern American idols, several of which are reflected in the reality TV show. The first, of course, is fame and celebrity. We practically worship the famous, don’t we? Some people talk about Oprah Winfrey or Angelina Jolie with the same kind of reverence we might use for Mother Teresa. Most of our young people can readily tell us the names and activities of actors, musicians, sports figures, and those who are celebrities for no other reason than they are rich and beautiful.
Another American idol is money. We yearn to have the big bucks, and we admire those who have amassed great riches, no matter who they have hurt in the process. And along with the idol of money is the idol of things. We have to do something with all our money, right? So we buy more and more stuff, and bigger houses to store all our stuff. And we hold yard sales to get rid of our stuff - why? - to make room for more new stuff, of course!
One American idol has had a devastating effect on church attendance throughout the nation, and that is sports. Sports events and practices are now regularly scheduled on Sunday mornings, and usually take precedence in the minds and time schedules and wallets of many Americans.
Celebrity, money, things, sports - all of these and many other things can be American idols - idols that take our attention and our energy away from God. You and I may not have a statue of some false god in our back yard that we worship, but we may have things in our lives that we hold dearer than God. There may be someone we listen to and obey rather than God. Is there something or someone coloring your world view away from God’s design and plan? These are our idols. These are the things that draw us away from God. (4)
So what can we do? How do we keep our American idols in their proper place in our lives ? Scripture gives us a number of guidelines for this important area of our spiritual life.
First, turn with me to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10. (READ 10:25-28) Here Jesus gives the overall guideline for the Christian life - we are to love God with all our heart and soul and strength and mind. We are to love God with everything we are and everything we have. This is the essence of God’s command that there be no other god before Him. When all we are and all we have is focused on the love of God, then other things in our lives take their proper place. We can look at celebrities, for example, and be entertained by them, but not admire them more than we should. We can enjoy our money and things as God-given resources to be held lightly rather than stuff to be worshipped and hoarded. When we choose to love God with all our heart and soul and strength and mind, then we can keep the proper perspective, and the distracting things in our lives are not allowed to become idols.
The Apostle Paul also gives us guidance in keeping things in their proper place in his letter to the Ephesians. Turn with me to chapter 4 of that letter. (READ 4:17-24) Paul’s point here is that when we are saved by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we are changed. We are given a new viewpoint, a new perspective. We begin to put away all the old stuff that once ruled in our lives, and we are transformed by the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are not changed instantly - it is a gradual, growing process. But part of our transformation is identifying and eliminating those idols in our lives that take our attention away from God. Through prayer, through study, through worship, through service, and through the guidance of our Christian friends, we can begin to overcome our idols and put God back in His proper place in our lives.
Let’s look at one more passage of Scripture this morning. Turn with me to the Old Testament book of Daniel (Daniel is towards the end of the Old Testament, right after the book of Ezekiel). This book tells the story of a young Jewish man who, along with many others, was taken into captivity in Babylon. Daniel and three other young men were brought into the royal court of Babylon and trained for service there. Let’s look at part of their story in Daniel 3:1-18 (READ).
Now you can read the rest of the story of these guys on your own - but rest assured, it does have a happy ending. What I want us to notice this morning is the courage these three faithful men had in the face of the demand that they worship an idol. What do we learn from them? That we can resist idolatry.
We can choose not to allow any idol to take a place in our lives higher than God. But this takes courage - it takes resolve. Others may threaten us, they may ridicule us. But we can resist - and that resistance will be honored by God.
What does resistance to idols look like in our real American lives? Perhaps you might refuse to join a sports team that practices or competes on Sunday mornings. Perhaps you might choose not to read magazines like “People” or the tabloid newspapers that do nothing but glorify celebrities. You could tell your family that this year for Christmas you don’t want to spend your money on more stuff for people who already have too much. Perhaps you could all agree to make or buy one simple gift for each person, and then pool your money to sponsor a less fortunate family or give to a worthy charity. When we resist our idols, people may think we are a little bit crazy, and they may try to talk us out of our resolve. But courageous resistance to idol worship will have its ultimate reward.
When it comes to reality, we must make a choice. Are we going to buy in to the false and exaggerated reality of our culture, the reality that creates multiple American idols for us to worship? Or will we turn our hearts and minds and souls and strength towards God’s true reality - that which is real and genuine for us as Christians living in God’s world? “You shall have no other gods before me!” - are you willing to accept God’s command to faithfulness today?
Let us pray:
Father God, You know the idols in our lives. You know those things that take our time and attention and energy away from You. Celebrity, money, things, sports - these are only the tip of the iceberg. There are so many other things in our lives that have become idols - food, tobacco, drugs, exercise, alcohol, sex - and even good things like our families and friends, our jobs and our hobbies. Forgive us, Lord, for putting any of these things before You. Renew our minds and transform us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, into true and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Help us to love You, O God, with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
RESOURCES:
1) Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary © 1980 by Lippincott & Crowell, p 387 and p 665.
2) Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Volume 1 pp 211-212 and Volume 2 pp 39-40 © 1989 by S.P. Publications.
3) The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible Volume 1 pp 1136-1137 and Volume 2 pp 1101-1105 © 1991 by Alpha-Omega Ministries.
4) “American Idols” sermon by Rev. Troy Borst, www.sermoncentral.com, used by permission.
