In the Know

In the movie “The Man Who Knew Too Little”, Bill Murray portrays a man, “Wally”, who signs up to participate in an audience participation theatre, but, unbeknownst to him, gets involved in an actual adventure. He doesn’t know the guns are real, and the danger is imminent as he continues to believe that he is part of the show.

This knowledge, though comically misguided, changes the way that Wally reacts to the things that are happening to him. When he is in an extremely difficult situation he acts as if he were a secret agent, believing that no real harm can come to him since, after all, it is all just make- believe anyway. This idea intrigues me.

What if we all were part of an audience participation theatre? Would it change the way that you handled everyday interactions? Should it change the way that you see yourself, and others? Would we be more heroic? If everything were fake, would we be able to act in a manner in which, at the end of the day, everyone goes home happy?

The truth of the matter is that no, not everything is fake; we live in a very real place and time. But we do know something. Or perhaps, more accurately, we know someone.

As Christians, we have entered into a relationship with the creator and sustainer of the universe, the LORD of Heaven and Earth, and our ever-faithful father. But does this change us? Should it? The early church was encouraged by Paul to let their relationship with God change their lives.

In Galatians, Paul reminds his readers that their relationship with God means that they no longer act in the way that they used to when they were enslaved to other things “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again?” (Gal 4:8,9 NRSV)

Again, in Romans, Paul encourages his readers to turn away from sin “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin…. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:6,11 NRSV).

We have knowledge that can and should change our lives, drastically altering the way that we see God, those around us, and ourselves. Will we let this knowledge change our behaviors this week?

Other passages to consider: Eph 6:9 , Rom 5:1-5