Pushback

Pushback ... "a negative reaction or response."  That is the definition on Google for a term we use when describing how people respond to events, happenings or changes.  I have been reading a lot about this as Facebook is changing to Meta, TV commercials are increasingly pushing products where people are wearing VR headsets and it is becoming evident that we (all of the people) are having something new "pushed" upon us.  Virtual reality is a product and a way of life being introduced into our lives, and most of us aren't really aware.  Like many societal changes, the playbook is to tell us how "normal" and "fun" this new thing can/will be, without telling us how treacherous, addictive and damaging this new thing really is.

A few weeks back, I was watching the morning news and they were "selling" the metaverse.  Yes, I used the word selling.  Because to those introducing the metaverse and virtual reality, we are a market.  If you want, you can buy "virtual" real estate, "virtual" Gucci purses and "virtual" cars.  You can have "virtual" experiences ranging from the benign to the dangerous.  And people are betting that you will buy into this new thing in a big way.  Virtual reality is becoming part of the design of college courses, part of the marketing strategies of major corporations, and part of one more thing people can become addicted to or obsessed with. All the while, people are having more and more difficulty coping with the real world, real problems and real people.  What do we do?

I believe Christians become those people who embrace reality.  Jesus said, "I am the truth, the way and the life (John 14:6)."  Jesus came into the world to open our eyes to reality and bring us into a healthy perspective of living a real, abundant life (John 10:10).  Jesus came to give sight to the blind (Luke 4:18).  We embrace truth, abundance and sight, all in the reality of the world God has given us.

In one set of interviews about virtual reality, I heard parents and many 20-something adults talk about their concerns with the metaverse.  One of the parents said, "If my child is asked to take a course where the metaverse is introduced, I will take my child out of that class immediately!"  Some of you might say, "That is a pretty strong pushback!"  But others might say, "That is appropriate and right."  For me, I won't be introducing virtual church, virtual worship or virtual sacraments anytime soon!  We worship a God that is real.  We worship a God that leads us through the joys and challenges of real life.  We worship a God that has found us in the reality of our mess, and who takes us to the reality of His kingdom.  Billy Graham said, "Religions are about man's search for God ... Christianity is about God's search for man."  Come Sunday and meet Christ in the bread and cup, find Him in the reality of people who have joined together in the beauty of a messy table, with messed-up people and a God who is leading us to His real and perfect place!  Randy