This past Wednesday I tried to watch the President’s State of the Union speech. I did not make it all the way through. Let me tell you why I didn’t not make it through before I tell you the real reason.
1. I did not stop listening because I do not respect the President. While I disagree with the President on several issues, I respect him as our leader. I would not want to be leading this country at this particular time in history. He has a tough job and I pray for him. My loss of interest had zero to do with him as a person.
2. I did not stop listening because of the importance of his content. We are at a critical juncture as a country. What the President had to say is of extreme importance. His speech reflects the magnitude of the issues we are facing as a nation. The economy is bad. People are out of work. We are in a war. Our educational system is flawed. Health care issues are critical. Political divides run deep. These are important issues and his speech addressed each of these issues but I stopped listening.
3. I did not stop listening because I totally disagree with the President. I am sure I agree with President Obama on many issues and I am sure we disagree on many. Disagreement is simply part of the political process. That’s not what caused me to switch to Mario.
4. I did not stop listening because there was something better on another station. When the President speaks, the rest of TV is usually lame (I think there was a Duke game on which reinforces my point).
5. I did not stop listening because I did not intend to listen. I wanted to listen. I wanted to hear what he had to say. I was willing to give him my time and attention. Yet I stopped listening.
So why did I stop listening to the State of the Union address? One simple reason: the importance and weight of the message was lost amidst everything surrounding the speech.
I stopped listening because I got frustrated with the unnecessary rhetoric, the childish behavior, the incessant applause, the political fanfare, and the disconnect between what he had to say and where I live everyday life. While his message was important, it was not PERCEIVED as important because of everything surrounding it. While his speech was relevant in the sense it has to do with our direction as a country, it was not PERCEIVED as relevant because it was disconnected from the average listener (in my opinion).
I was reminded of a valuable lesson for all of us who stand on a stage and communicate the most important message in human history: the message can be true, relevant, and important but it can still be disconnected from the audience. And if they are disconnected, they will change the channel.
I am afraid that many of us get so consumed with the fanfare surrounding the message that we forget the importance of the message itself. I believe in creativity. I believe in creating engaging environments. It is one of our core values as a church. But if we get so consumed with the fanfare that we distract from the message, then we miss the entire point. It is only the gospel that transforms hearts.
Most of the people who enter our doors on a Sunday are willing to listen. They come to hear. But how many of them turn the channel of their minds because what is being said is true but it is not perceived as true?
We are proclaiming the most important message in human history. It is a message the surpasses the economic crisis, health care issues, global warming, the war on terror, our education system, and any other human-related issue. It is the only message that has eternal ramifications. It is a message that is true, important, and relevant. Let’s keep it that way.