Be Planted

No technology is unbiased, and no technological advancement is neutral! 

Cai Lun (no, not Tai Lung from Kungfu Panda) invented paper in approximately the year Jesus died (A.D. 33). It took over 1,000 years, but eventually paper replaced parchment as the main material used to capture the written word. Setting the stage for books to replace the scroll for storing codified information. Though it was slow in the uptake, paper, in hindsight, was a revolutionary idea, but was it an advancement? 

When Gutenberg’s’ printing press started cranking out books, no one had any idea the kind of impact his single invention would have on the course of human history. This single invention spread almost instantaneously around the world. For the first time in history, books (the Bible being the main one) could be made available to anyone – cue the Protestant Reformation… This was revolutionary, but was it an advancement? 

Books stood as the main source of information for several hundred years. Then, computers happened! IBM developed a primitive, in-house “upgrade” to paper memos in 1974 to be sent electronically. It had no idea that email (as it would be later called) would change world-wide communication. “Paperless” is now a necessity for most businesses, and hand-written notes are quaint little novelties – cue the Digital Age. This was revolutionary, but was it an advancement? 

When Steve Jobs released the iPhone in 2007 it was like an atom bomb. It changed how humans interact, the music industry, the entertainment industry, navigation, commerce, and a whole host of other categories. In short, it changed everything. But was it an advancement? Only history will tell. In one way, at least it wasn’t, we have reverted back to the scroll. 

Revolutionary ideas and innovations change everything. The crazy thing about these kinds of technologies is once they’ve been released into society, they can never be taken back (Pandora’s box), and people who are born after they are established, can hardly imagine a world where they don’t exist. But that’s only looking backward. Looking to the future, we never know what advancements may change everything, until they have. 

How do we stay planted in a world that is ever shifting and moving? 

Psalm 1:3 says we should be planted by streams of water. We should have roots that keep us anchored in a shifting world. But what should we plant ourselves in? What beliefs provide a deep enough foundation to hold us steady when so much can change so quickly? 

One of the big Christian ideas, handed down through thousands of years and millions of people, is the community of faith, the Church. God invented Church when he assembled the people of Israel thousands of years ago. It was a revolutionary idea, and it was, unequivocally, an advancement. Taking time every week to re-center our hectic lives on things above and be with people who are trying to do the same thing, is an essential part of grounding our lives in Christ.  

Perhaps you feel that the Church isn’t relevant to your life, but isn’t that the point? Don’t you want to plant yourself in something bigger than your life? If your life is anything like mine, it’s too focused on the here and now anyway; I need a little touch-down of heaven every week.  

Be planted in a local church – it’s a really good idea! Let us know if we can help you find a good church to go to this weekend.