Trending - Week 1 - St. Peter - Pastor Tim Glende
Trending
Week 1 - St. Peter
Pastor Tim Glende
Welcome to week number one, of our six weeks, sermon series entitled "Trending, the Trickiness of Half-Truths". Go ahead and Google it. If you want, we'll take the word trending into your phone and and you will get a ridiculous number of options to click on. If you go to maybe your social media feeds of choice, whether it's Instagram, or TikTok, you know, the different things that you can find very quickly on the first screen, or the things that are sometimes, all trendy. In fact, this past week on Tuesday, as I was wrapping at the sermon. I dig just that, I Googled "trending" and the ridiculous number of options came up. I clicked on one, the NBC News trending feed, and, and saw some other things on Tuesday that we're trending.
Public transportation and masks, which was the day when the Court ruling came down that you don't have to wear masks on airplanes or Ubers anymore. A lot of you were like, saying, amen. Thank you very much. There were three articles on the Kardashians not shocking. They've been trending off and on for what 15 -16 years. And then I mean this was the greatest day ever. I found out that Taco Bell has brought back the Mexican pizza. Can I get an amen? Like this takes me back like to my childhood and the Taco Bell drive-thru. And oh, yes, my guess is if you Googled it today, you would probably get something different. Whether it's something going on, that's involved the latest fashion style or the latest food news, but that's not what we're really talking about when we're dealing with trending.
You might come up with some Trends or things that that are running high on, on your newsreel feeds or your TikTok videos. Some of those might be what we're talking about trendy, but really when we're talking about trending, we're talking about ideas and beliefs. That are shaping culture and driving people down a path to follow. So while there is a lot of things trending, what we're going to talk about this in series in this series are some really important phrases buzzwords things that in our culture right now are true and are leading people down a certain path and are trending. There, the things you see on t-shirts are the things you might hear on television. There are things that
And ideas that people have that are becoming, not just trends, but in some cases believed to be true.
Which is why it's important for us to understand that definition. Remember why things trend. Trending is nothing new. We can go back 2,000 years ago, to the time of Jesus. You can go back 2,000 years before that. When we have recorded history in the Bible, and you can see on the pages of scripture. You can see from people who are not Christians who recorded history that there are things that trend. The reality is when it comes to trending it's important to understand why things trend. The phrases that we're going to talk about many more. What is that Latin phrase that I'm going to give you in English? Because I don't want to try and say it. But repetition is the mother of learning. Like teachers understand it, news networks get it, social media and algorithms are defined by it, repetition. Repetition…. repetition matters.
The more you hear something, you're more probable to learn it. Remember to hold onto it and if enough people say the same thing over and over again, it more people say it and you hear it from multiple sources. You might believe it.
In the social media world in which we live, algorithms are driven by it. Like Facebook. And Instagram, TikTok or whatever other social media platform you're on. They don't care if what they post is true or not. True. Good or bad. What? Gets into your news feed? And what gets put out there to the world is driven by the algorithms. They know your patterns. They know what you follow, they're driven by the likes and the hearts and everything else. Which is so important to understand the why? Because I want you to understand the why of this series. I'm going to be the first one to say it. Trending isn't always bad.
History and time will show us the certain things that trend can be a blessing. Like, just think of some of the algorithms, the likes the hearts, the views that have blessed you like if you're into a certain area or hobby, like the, the views of certain videos of people who really know what they're talking about, really know what they're doing. We'll be the ones that rise to the top and and that trending helps bless you. And your time you have to go searching through a whole bunch of garbage and people who aren't experts, you can find people who know what they're talking about on the hobby or interest of choosing. Trending can be a blessing.
But, history reinforces to us that, sadly, the ideas and beliefs of culture that then become credible and get followed and get pushed and get believed to be true, aren't always so good.
For example, 2000 years ago, the Roman culture, you know, what was trending in society?
Pedophilia.
We've heard a lot about it over the last few years in America, but slavery was trending in early American history.
Or think about Germany in the 1930s and 40s. What was trending? Was this idea and belief that almost all the people who are Germans bought into and thought was okay, and acceptable called trying to eliminate a whole race of people from the face of planet Earth.
Not all trending Is good or true. Our blessing?
Which is why this series is so important for us in the 21st century.
Because you, you know, how you get your news and how you get trending. We live in a non-stop media world where your information is put in front of you over and over and over again, not just on a day-to-day basis, but minute-by-minute basis. Like if something was trending 50 years ago, you had to have read it in the newspaper every day for seven days straight. To maybe buy into it or see different angles from it. But today you can get it will seven times in less than seven minutes and be influenced way differently. Which is why we are doing this series because not all trends are good. And while, some trends might have truths in them, there are dangers in them that can lead us down the wrong path. We need to stop in our fast-paced fast food, world of consuming things and and slow down and digest.
And think of all those trends. And dig into God's truth.
And this series going to be a little bit different. Little bit more of a Bible study in some of the weeks and sometimes we're going to look at things from a logical perspective and then also a bit more perspective to really understand the truth and wrestle with our God would want us to deal with it. That's why I pray that you'll understand that and see the danger in, in trending, because Jesus did. Jesus said this in the gospel of Matthew.
Not the Lord's Prayer, but he did say that in Matthew.
Do you said this in Matthew 7:13, enter through the narrow gate for wide, is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. Sadly often times the trends of the world that the trending things lead people away and stray. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it if you fall prey to the wrong Trend. If you believe everything about them, if you think they are wholly, true. It could endanger your soul.
So, please take this truth with you throughout the entire series. Here's a little why. Behind the series. I want to make a compelling case for you to come back for the next five weeks. What's trending could lead to your ending spiritually?
Like what's trending, if you fall in line, if you go with culture, if you buy it all in. It could lead to your ending because it could destroy your relationship with God.
Which is why the words and phrases that we chose are so important. For this series, a marine pack week. Number one message is “Science is real.” No, just that statement alone. When you hear it. If I had that as an agree or disagree, question, for all of you science is real, how many of you would say agree? I hope a hundred percent of you. Like if you're a St. Peter student, you better because we teach science in our, in our school. But if you're a member of this church, that supports Fox Valley Lutheran, we are in sync. We stuck a whole lot of dollars into a STEM lab to advanced sciences and teach higher level classes. I mean, we as a church, 922 Ministries, would tell you that we believe in science.
And I say that up front because I need you to understand in a world where science and religion so often collide that Christians are viewed as anti-science. Like if you're a science person and you're a Christian and you struggle and wrestle in the world that you live because of how people feel, don't be ashamed of the fact that you are a Christian, but you also believe in science and would say that it's real. That statement is dangerous. You want to know why?
Because this belief is real about that statement like you can go online. If you Google, the phrase, Science is real, you go get shirts like this. Like the pandemics and politics of the last two years, have driven and fueled this conversation more than ever before. It's always been around. It's never gone away.
And people try and debunk things that they don't believe in. People who follow the science and I'm not going there today, no matter what side of the coin you're on. Come back with, look at the facts, look at the figures. science is real.
And that's the tension. Because I just told you the state,ment in itself. I I wouldn't disagree with on paper but
But when I Google the phrase, this is the shirt that will pop up to reinforce science is real. And what? Someone who's making that statement beliefs? The Earth is not flat, vaccines work. We've been to the Moon. Climate change is real universe is expanding. Math is a universal language. Chemtrails aren't a thing, and I'd had enough time trying to figure out the sermon and alone I don't even know what Chemtrails are. Evolution is a fact with a symbol of a monkey on It. We are all made of Stardust.
But there are things on that list and that t-shirt that you would probably check the box and say, yeah. True. But there are things on that t-shirt that I would not check the box and say true.
Which is the tension in front of us today in the statement? In fact. The statement isn't the issue.
What's the tension? What's in question, is your definition of the word science?
And that's the trickiness of this trending phrase. How do you define it?
And I need to make two disclaimers before I go any further into week. Number one. What is we I told you this before we teach science and we have people on our staff here at 922 Ministries who love science like Mariah, who is our departmentalized Upper Grade teacher who loves science, and she's really good at teaching it.
And don't get Pastor Michael started on topics of science. If you go up to him and ask him about things like the E.coli bacteria test, that's been going on for the last several decades. Like he will talk to you for 50 minutes. And you give him any rabbit hole and he will chase after it. He loves science, too. But I can't get into all the rabbit holes or you would be here for the next three days. It's gonna be long enough already like creation versus evolution. Carbon dating, young Earth, old earth, like anything and everything about science and Christians anywhere. They meet head-on and all the questions you have. I can't answer them all. Pastor Jim has done, Bible classes on it. Pastor, Michael has an amazing hour on just creation and evolution alone in a Starting Point class. I gave you the link in the notes. Check it out. My goal today is to do two things, logically and biblically. Put some stones in your shoe. And you notice stone in your shoe does. It's uncomfortable. Like you got to shake it out. You got to stop and you gotta do something about it. I want to put some stones in your shoe, logically and biblically about the statement in the trending of science. Israel.
So that in this world, we can not be tricked into the trend, but celebrate the truth about science and also God says. So I'm going to give you three things. Logically speaking Three Stones to put in your shoe about this topic about that T-shirt. And so, as we go down the list, if you're taking notes, these things are all logically speaking and based on some key points that I think are part of the conversation. The first one comes back to the definition. Remember I said at issue is the definition when someone says science is real and they say evolution.
Is a fact or they also say, the Earth is flat. They're missing out on an important sure that I believe is front and center to science how you define it? They're missing a word. Observable science is real. Observable science is real.
Because if you don't have that part to the definition, Then you have to answer this question. What science?
Like the 20/80 science. Like, you know, some of the things that early doctors did when they would cut people open and they thought was science. That was deadly. 12th century science. Before Christopher Columbus thought the Earth was flat. 16th century science. 19th century science or 21st century science. Like at a certain point, you have to be able to help me. Understand if if science is real, then in the 800s that science was real. In the 21st century. It's science is real and why is it so different? Because a lot has been observed.
Like, the Earth isn't flat.
There's a reason why people no longer paint their houses with lead paint. Like science has proven it's dangerous.
Observable science is real. People have used physics and math to help them figure out how to fly and and put boats in water and travel in amazing ways at amazing speeds. Tthink of some of the biggest cruise ships in the world. How do those things? Stay up and afloat?
Science.
And that's observable science. That stone has to be in your shoe and people start to have the conversation about whether and what is real.
Which leads to number to them?
Science wants to say this in a good way has a role.
Science has an amazing role. Like, I'm going to tell you, my family has been blessed by science. Like two weeks ago, my father-in-law had a heart attack. I'm not going to comment on the fact that he drove there. Oh, I did. Well, he really identify what was going on. They were disabled. They were able to get in and put stents in his heart to allow the blood flow to happen, and he was able to go home three days later.
Amazing. That's science.
My son once had an appendix who we didn't know what was going on. We just thought he was lazy and complaining, he could barely go up and down steps. We call a nurse friend and she said have him do this and she figured out his appendix is close to rupturing. We got in the hospital, they operated on that night, you know what happened? Two centuries ago, three centuries ago. He would have died. Science has an amazing role that blesses human life.
What people have observed in figured out the brain and reason and logic that have been put to work? It's an amazing thing.
Science has a role. In fact, naturalist wholk a talk bout the role of science wouldn't be disagreed by Christians. In fact, there are many Christian scientists who would say science has a role and the Bible actually says science has a role. King David said this, the heavens declare, the glory of God, the skies proclaim, the work of his hands day after day. They pour forth speech night after night. They reveal knowledge. They have no speech. They use no words. No sound is heard from them yet. Their voice goes out into all the Earth, their words, to the ends of the world and a few minutes. I'm gonna give you some code.
Most famous scientists. But a lot of them would say God and science cannot be separated. Science has a role in many ways to to take people to a place to understand the beauty of God. The Amazing Heart Of God be overwhelmed by the creation of God to see the power and glory of God. You know, you want to think about science and its roles. It proves the wisdom and power of God. The Bible would say it sharpens. Our logic and reason, no one would disagree with. It helps us manage the earth. I mean using science, as an amazing blessing, to take care of God's creation. It helps us better love others and serve others, and it leads to a deeper worship of God.
We can always serve the world and its beauty and we can observe that life is fearfully and wonderfully made. And science has an amazing role in doing all that.
But those two stones in your shoe can't be. Missing the third Stone.
Science is observable. Science is real science. Has a role in his amazing blessing. So I want you to hear this science is good. How do you balance it? But it is limited.
So there are two camps from the statement. If you believe that science is real. And you're going to give everything in anything and buy into all things stamp with science. You're putting science in the position of authority and power and master.
But science is limited.
There are things that cannot tell you and things that pass that observed in there, aren't answers for it.
They can make conclusions. They can put the information in front of you, but it is limited.
And you need to have that stone in your shoe. And you have conversations about science being real. You need to have that in your mind. If you're being down the path of the trending that science is real and everything on that t-shirt is true.
I know for a lot of people. They would say well, of course, that's your position because you're a Christian. You're anti-science. That's not true. I've already told you. I love it. We teach it. I value it, but it is limited.
And if you don't believe me, a pastor who's very uneducated in science, trust me. I had to take science class. You don't want to know, you know, like it fine, but you don't want to know how easy the class was to listen to some other scientists. Albert Einstein famous scientist, at this, the more I study science, the more I believe in God.
James Clerk Maxwell who was a physicist and mathematician, who formulated the classical, electromagnetic theory, no clue, who's on par with Einstein and Newton, went in the areas of science of this. I've looked into the most philosophical systems, and I've seen that none will work without God. Science is incompetent to reason upon the creation of matter itself out of nothing. Because at the end of the day, that's pretty much where you get the rub.
Evolution.
Something science. And Academia worlds have stamped as true.
But experts like those two would say no.
One can't be the master because it has limits.
Albert Einstein also said this quote. I think it's the I have a passage up on the screen. Next from The Book of Psalms. God would wrestle an argue with you when it comes to Creation. That what science is, limited, in, God can tell you how it happened. Look at these words from Isaiah 45. It's I who made the Earth and created mankind on it. My own hand stretched out the heavens. I marshaled, their Starry hosts for this is what the Lord says. He who created the heavens is God, who fashioned and made the Earth. He founded it.
Did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited. He says, I am the lord, and there is no other. Naturals would say it's science or creation.
I would tell you observable science and creation.
Because God says, I made everything, I spoke the words and I did it with a purpose. I didn't form it empty. But to be inhabited,
And I need to put that stone in your shoe that it's limited and I don't want to put this Stone in your shoe alongside of it. What science holds up at elevates as real Evolution. That we came from one cell started really small and evolved into something else into something else into something else. Along the way, Advanced a little bit more, got some legs eventually became a name and eventually became you.
What is the big bang? Which is the reason why it's believed that your Stardust because all the things on the earth have all the same elements. But it just happened by chance. Human life is not special versus God form human life out of the dust and breathe into it. You know, some experts have said about those theories. We'll listen to one like this person was a believer in the Big Bang and everything about it, sir. Fred Hoyle, English astronomer and his mathematician friend, Chandra Wickersham calculated, the probability of one cell coming together in the proper arrangement by accident. That's the theory.
But they found his math is a science is as light that is as likely as a tornado, hitting a junkyard. And in the process of building, a fully assembled operational 747 jumbo jet airline.
They weren't Christians when they did the calculation. It put a stone in their shoe.
Observable science is real.
As a rule, who does good. But it's limited. Albert Einstein got that. He said this about Science without religion is lame because I mean like you use the word today. If you're a teenager or I use it as a teenager like lame unable to do anything. Without religion science is nothing. And religion without science is blind.
Like observable science opens. Our eyes to see. Learn about God. He marveled about God and is his work.
And I hope those stones in your shoe. Help serve a purpose when you deal with the trending of science being real.
But I think I want to put two more things in your mind to trews to help you wrestle with it and consider it. When you talk about it, when you deal with it, when you might hear things that you might wonder if it's true or not. True. Where's the midline of this one? Because it's kind of in the middle. It's a half-truth.
I want to take you back to that story of Thomas. Remember Thomas may be the first scientist and Thomas was real. Remember those Magi from the East who came, you know, why they came they followed stars. But they followed the stars because they knew God's word and they used them to find their way. They understood the limits of science and what it reveals about. God. Thomas was scientific in his approach to that Easter event. He said, unless I see the nail marks in his hands, my fingers where the nails were held my hand into his side. I will not believe it. His hypothesis was only. God can raise the dead. Jesus. I believe was God, but Jesus Is dead. Therefore, how could he be alive?
I won't believe it unless I see it, unless I have deserve it, its scientific human. But even our natural human instinct, Thomas is natural. Human instinct, says, observable things can be proven as factual things. Keep that in mind. It's reality. That all of us live with And you know what? Jesus did next. Jesus stepped in and showed him, he said, Thomas, put your finger here. See my hands. Reach out your hand, and put it in my side. Stop doubting and believe.
And then Jesus went on to say because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen? And yet have believed. Seeing that leads to believing is science. That was Thomas.
Seeing at least the believing of science, but believing - seeing is only possible by faith. Like at the end of the day, those stones in your shoe. You're going to come to a place in Jesus would reinforce it when dealing with this trend.
Fall into one of two camps: God or not. Faith in God and Jesus Christ or not.
Like the naturalist? And the person who both scientist, who believes in creation, they've written papers on it, they use scientific evidence for it. They use terms like all of them have done it, and yet the scientific community that's accepted in Academia does not give credence to it because they have presuppositions about it.
Stones in your shoe have to be there for a reason. Observable science is real. It serves a role and its limited because at the end of the day, you or I want us to decide either, you believe it by faith because it's not observable.
Where you don't believe in God, which makes you God, makes you authority and make science the master. Now, I want you to remember that trending truth, that we can develop out of Thomas has experience but it's true in that world. How you interpret the evidence? Will depend on your presuppositions.
And both presuppositions. Have a bias.
Mine has a bias. A bias that happens by faith.
And so does the other person to bias that there is no God.
And so, all of us have a bias about how things began.
I think the day you would have to sit down and look at the two options, either option. Like some scientists have proven from observable evidence to try and recreate it. And as they think about it, a tornado, hitting the junkyard and putting together a 747 or a higher power. That spoke the words and caused everything to be.
Neither are observable.
A bang or a God.
But I've talked to a lot of doctors and people who love science. Who studied it for a living who work on people? My son is studying it right now. He would say Dad, this is so crazy. It is a miracle that life could even exist.
You know what? No scientist can do with life. You can't create life without life. So if you want to believe in a bang, an explosion, you still have to have a life somehow appearing. Because they can't create life without life.
Your presupposition, whether it's faith in God. Almighty God or no. God will then lead to how you interpret the evidence. Like my faith in God in a six day creation of God who made things after their own kind, then leads me down a path that while there is microevolution things will adapt and things will survive and things will change based on their circumstances. I mean science has proven this, it's evidence but not macro-evolution where things change lanes.
Almost you here in the pastor, stand up front saying he can believe in a microevolution you're going. But I've never heard a pastor say that? Yes, and be fully. Should I didn't? Say observable science is real.
But fish don't change into horses. That's not observable and hasn't been proven.
What if my presupposition is, things can change lanes than when I find a fossil. I'm going to look at that evidence and and say human beings came from apes.
Here's what Jesus said about the topic that I need you to hold on to truth or this trending. Number two. But at the end of the day, when science is real and you have conversations, it's a matter of Faith or not God or not believing in a higher. Almighty. God, who came who created, who made you fearfully and wonderfully? That human life is unique. That God's word is true. Faith depends on God.
God, who sent his son into this world to do what you couldn't do, to rescue you from Hel. Faith depends on God.
And believes what he reveals Israel.
Observable scientists, real. But faith trust that what God says, what he reveals in his written, where, what he tells you and me. That is what's real.
Which is what the author of the Hebrews said by faith. We understand that the Universe was formed at God's command. None of us observed it, we believe it. So that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Logically and biblically.
In 40-ish minutes. I hope I put a stone in your shoe.
But if you're going down along with the path in the trend that has caused you to stop and pause. To understand the tension isn't the statement. It's the definition to really understand the definition to examine it, to celebrate it to see that the church is not anti-science.
At the end of the day, the presuppositions faith or not, God or not. Will lead to how're you? Utilize it and determine the evidence. And for a Christian by faith, we live, Jesus said not by sight.
Which is why in a few minutes, I want you to celebrate with me, what some people would. Help prove the test of what bias you have but presupposition is yours.
Like taking extra kit home. We're giving away, restarting regular communion in a few weeks. So we want Parker to use these, but take an extra one. If you know, a doctor friend of yours, have them examine this, they can run a test on it. You know, what? These two things are going, they're going to find and described as Bread and Wine, some of you might argue that that's not bread. Okay, but as the elements of bread, You know what? I believe this to be. The very body and blood of Jesus Christ. A microscope will prove it a test won't reinforce it.
That's a faith thing.
That's a free thing that in a miraculous way. The Lord of Heaven and Earth the night before he died loving, he gave his church until the end of time an amazing meal where you can receive his very body and blood together with it under the Bread and Wine. I get it. That presupposition. Comes from what I believe is real. What God reveals?
And only by faith.
And a tackle, the toughness of this tricky Trend. You have to understand. That. And may God bless us in that to celebrate science and all that. It is the role that it has. But to know the powerlessness of God. And by faith, what he reveals to be real. Let's pray.
Heavenly Father. The series is going to have a lot of things to talk about, that are hard and messy, science and religion. When they collide so many times, that's the case.
So I pray that the logic today and also the Bible today. Help us in this tricky Trend. There's a lot of half in science is amazing thing that the gifts and talents and abilities. You given a human beings to observe and use those gifts brought so many blessings throughout history. But it's limited science is not God and all-powerful and the authority. It's a servant. And it's a blessing. So when I pray for us in our church, we might communicate clearly on this. I pray for us in a world that Trends down that path that teaches, that all science just observable is real. For all those affected by it Lord work on their hearts. And send your Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith.
