If you could know the future, how much detail would you like to know? Have you ever thought about that before? At first glance, there are a lot of details we think would be nice to know in advance. Especially in our younger years: What am I going to be when I grow up? Who am I going to marry? Sometimes I think it’d be nice to know what companies will succeed so I can invest my retirement wisely and set my family up financially for the future. Or, when will my Dallas Cowboys finally win the Super Bowl? That knowledge would sure come in handy, because then I could place a bet and win big, and again, provide well for my family.
There are certain things that we’d probably rather not know. Who of you would like to know the day when you’ll die? Or how you will die, or what that will feel like? That’d be pretty awful, in my opinion. I’m also the type that doesn’t want to know when I’m about to get the needle in my arm from the nurse- I’d just rather deal with the pain on a moment-by-moment basis without having to dread it in advance. Plus, knowing outcomes could really take the meaning out of our momentous occasions. If I knew Camilla was going to marry me, it’d kind of take the romance out of our relationship. If there was no possibility she’d reject me, I’d be more prone to take her for granted. There are some details about our future that we really must know- such as, where will we go when we die. But aside from that, there’s not too much else, in my opinion.
Yet in our world today, we have slogans such as “knowledge is power,” and we often look down upon ignorance or those that are less educated than us. There is enormous pressure on us to always have the right answers- from so many different places. Those that we influence put their trust in us to get it right, and we don’t feel like we can fail them. Our scientists have to give exact scientific reasons for the purposes behind everything. Historians have to give a perfect explanation on what happened in our past and why. Politicians have to know the policies that will bring prosperity their constituents. And don’t even get me started on the pressure we put on meteorologists and our weathermen!
Yet, there is so much that we do not know, we cannot know, and will never know. Not only is this true, but it is good for us! Our brains, while amazing, are incredibly limited in their capacity to remember the past, figure out the present, or predict the future. We all live in ignorance and must embrace the mystery of the moment. We all live by faith, but faith in what, exactly, is what defines our lives and gives them meaning.
As we continue our study of the Book of Revelation, we come across a very interesting chapter this weekend. In this chapter, John is told not to write some things down, and then he eats a scroll. It is a chapter full of mystery and lessons for us today.
I invite you to embrace this mystery with us this weekend as we study Revelation 10 together. Our socially distanced service is Saturday afternoon at 3:30, and our Sunday morning service is at 10:15, where you can join us online or in person. We also have Sunday School classes at 9 for all ages.
Have a great weekend and I look forward to pursuing Christ, Community, and the Great Commission Together with you soon!
-Pastor Nathan Rice