REVrant 35.5 - Jesus Missing from Holy Week Headlines...So Far

During one of my sermons this past weekend, I made a point about the apparent cultural consensus to eradicate all mention of Jesus from public discourse and news media – print or visual.  As an illustration I posed the probability that even though this is “Holy Week” and hundreds of millions of Christians world-wide are making preparations for Good Friday and Easter (pastors, in particular!), there would be no attention given in popular culture this week.  I added that I figured we might see a brief reference on Friday – featuring pilgrims in Jerusalem, or perhaps a mass by the Pope on Easter, or a re-run of the archaic 1950–something religious movie, “The 10 Commandments” (that has nothing to do with Holy Week), on Friday or Saturday night, but that would probably be the extent of the coverage.

So far, I’m right.  I haven’t looked at every possible source – that’s impossible.  But I’ve checked the biggies – network news, cable news, and big name newspapers.  Nothing so far.  (If you’ve found anything, let me know, and I will stand corrected.)

There’s been plenty of coverage of Obama and his pastor, Hillary, McCain, a new tape from Osama, China & Tibet, floods in the heartland, the roller-coaster financial market, the Fed’s 3/4 point interest rate cut, the McGreevy’s alleged indiscretions, Spitzer’s prostitute, Jason Elam’s free agent visit to the Atlanta Falcons, and “March Madness!”  But…I searched in vain to find even the slightest attention for Jesus and His followers. 

If you were in services at FBC this past weekend, you also know that I gave you a homework assignment.  To say the name of Jesus out loud in public at least three times between then and Easter Sunday morning at 6:30 am.  Something tells me that our efforts (and the efforts of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world) in doing this are about the only way anyone is going to even hear the name of Jesus this week!  I did it in a hair salon last night before I got my hair cut.  “What have you been up to this week,” I was asked.  My reply – “I’ve been getting ready to preach about the resurrection of Jesus Christ four times this weekend!”  

Nothing monumental happened to anyone who heard me (that I know of), but it made me feel great to speak the name of Jesus with no worries about what anyone would think.  There’s still time for YOU!

JESUS is the name above all names!

 

Comments

[Stacey Peterson]

My husband and I had a good laugh after we heard your sermon last Sunday and then turned on the news that night and in the same order you mentioned in your sermon, they showed a 5 second clip of people in Jerusalem with palm branches immediately followed by a shot of the pope. No real mention of the reason, of course!

[Wes Folsom]

MHR: I share with you the sadness over the absence of the name of Jesus in the media during this Holy Week. Your blog inspired me to look at the home page I look at every day, which is USAToday.com. Lo and behold, right there on the front page was a link to an internal article titled "10 Great Places to mark Christianity's holiest day".

Samples:
Bethany Beyond the Jordan --- "see where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist".
Ephesus, Turkey --- "the home where Mary, the mother of Jesus, is said to have spent her last days".
Church of the Holy Sepulcher
--- "the site of Jesus' crucifixion".

So --- it's a travel article, but it does mention the name of Jesus.

He Is Risen!!

Wes

[Sandy]

"At the NAME of JESUS every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that JESUS is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Phil. 2:10-11. "JESUS, JESUS, JESUS, there's just something about that name...kings and kingdoms will ALL pass away, but there's just something about that name." MHR, Thank you for the challenge to speak the name of JESUS this Holy Week. His name should fall off the lips of believers like no other name.