Did Anyone Else See That?
If nobody else sees it or nobody else knows it ... does it matter? What do you think I am going to say?
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Last weekend (and about 547 times before that in my life), I was walking out of Hope Depot - when I stumbled. I didn’t fall, I didn’t go down to the ground, just a little stumble and a quick lurch forward and that was it. And as I was righting the ship, one second post stumble … you know what I did. Just a quick glance around. Did anyone see that? Because a stumble with no witnesses is like no stumble at all. Right?
OK, don’t judge me. Don’t sit there like you have no idea what I am talking about. I don’t mean I know you have stumbled - everyone stumbles. I mean the quick glance around is, I contend, also universal - for stumbles or for other things. Even the near miraculous reflect-action catch of your keys falling from your hand. Quick glance … that was pretty good, right? If nobody saw it, does it matter? If nobody knows the things I am thinking, does it matter? If nobody connects my anonymous social media posts or my gaming avatar to me, does it matter?
If you have read any of these dispatches from The Embassy, you know my answer.
Every once in a while, something in our culture catches us by surprise and takes us by storm. At the moment, it is the streaming show Jury Duty. It is pretty wonderful. Talk of the show is everywhere and the premise is revealed immediately, so it isn’t a spoiler alert to describe it as a reality show with a fake trial and a fake plaintiff and a fake defendant and a fake judge and jury … except for one juror, who isn’t in on the joke. Ronald Gladden is the lone “real” person who thinks the trial is real. With producers, writers, and actors all around him creating all manner of crazy (and often hilarious) circumstances, Ronald turns out to be the real star. Because he is likeable, friendly, accepting, warm, and fun. That is, it would seem, what Ronald Gladden is like in real life - because, to him, it was real life. A fake situation revealed a real thing because it was real to him. We want to be seen or we want to hide, depending. Does it matter?
It is all real. And all is seen. The good does not go unnoticed, justice will not wait forever, grace is offered for all. But we have to remember what is real.
Jury Duty placed Ronald Gladden in all manner of crazy circumstances to track (and record) his reactions in real time. Most of the actors were not well known enough to be readily identified as actors. The exception was James Marsden (West World, X-Men movies … and, for Jury Duty viewers, the Sonic movies ). Ronald helped Marsden through a ridiculous ‘rehearsal’ for a big role he was (only in the Jury Duty universe) up for. And Ronald seemed genuinely to be trying to help Marsden land the role - even as Marsden putatively deposited (courtesy of the prop department) an excessively large turd in Ronald’s bathroom (I forgot to mention that, of course, the jury has to be sequestered). And so on, and so on. Ronald is completely non-anxious and comfortable and likeable and gracious in all of these situations - all of these situations where the point was to test him. Ronald seems to be a genuinely remarkable person - he bears well the image of God. And he is now famous and admired (and $100k richer) because of it.
But Ronald was remarkable the day before he was selected for that ‘jury’. We hadn’t seen it, but it wasn’t any less real. I believe there are countless remarkable people, hidden all around us. That they are hidden doesn’t change their remarkable bearing of God’s image. We currently live in a time where, Jury Duty excepted, the hidden and quietly remarkable people are not celebrated - and we tend to judge groups of people by the worst examples on display. And the worst examples tend to be more displayed - outrage and anger and fear draws clicks and eyeballs. But the clicks and eyeballs don’t convey any level of increased reality. Increased visibility is not increased reality. The real is real even if nobody else sees it. And somebody always sees it. Of course I mean God sees you, God sees it - but I also mean that you see it. And it matters that you see it. You are never unobserved.
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139:1-12)
In a culture where we like to think we are an island, or assume we are without giving it much thought … in a world in which the predominant ethic is often “as long as you are acting in the privacy of your own home and not hurting anybody, do what you want,” this passage can sound oppressive. Maybe creepy. But the truth is much more gracious than that. The psalmist here speaks of the comfort that comes from God’s attention being ever present. He matters because God shaped him, knows him, and cares about him. I don’t necessarily believe that it is the business of the government what you do in privacy and that doesn’t hurt anyone - but everything matters, and God’s grace is present. This can be a tremendous comfort to those who believe that justice will not come. But He is also present with those who need justice. God will bring comfort, grace, and justice in His provision and in His timing.
Our dark version of God’s ever present nature is The Truman Show. Truman was an unwitting victim of an oppressive, repressive, God-like controller named ‘Christof’ (subtlety alert!). Truman has to break out of the oppressive oversight of Christof to be himself, to be authentic, and to be free. The Christian picture is quite different - we are not in a reality show, we are in reality - it matters, God’s graciousness is present, and He is at work through us even if nobody notices. We don’t have to go somewhere else to live a remarkable life that matters. And we never have to play God - even to right wrongs that we see.
I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God. (1 Corinthians 4:3-5)
We will all get our reveal, to ourselves, we are already revealed to God. And He offers us His grace - so our reveal can be a revelation of God’s grace and work in our lives. All the books will be balanced, all injustices will be corrected, all necessary grace will be freely given to those who trust God in and for His grace.
Nothing matters more.
Links
West World TV Show
X-Men Movies
Sonic Movies
Ronald’s a better guy than me!