On last Wednesday night, Actress Nancy Pelosi decided “not” to give a “ripping repeat” of her earlier performance on the State of the Union Stage.
No, this was President Joe Biden’s platform, and apparently Miss Nancy would not try and upstage him as she did Donald Trump on February 4, 2020 in what Sean Hannity called "One of the most classless things ever done in the history of the State of the Union." And surely it was all of that, as even Brian Stelter of CNN Business opined “It was unprecedented behavior for a speaker, aggressively rude and unapologetically meant to rile up her base.” But when Pelosi met in a closed-door meeting on the next day with her Democratic rank and file, she received a standing ovation for her obnoxiousness. Much like a shotgun wedding, it makes a difference which side of the aisle you’re seated on.
It’s safe to say that everybody knows “Old Joe” is struggling in his later years of life, but like the Emperor’s New Non-Clothes, the Democrats are denying what is all-too-plainly visible. But I would never advocate any Republican being so idiotic as to do such a childish thing as Nancy did. Commentators gushed over Biden’s use of something called “volume control” verses the bellicose style they say was employed by his predecessor, and we can see that beauty is absolutely in the ear of the beholder. All of this is nothing more than political posturing. It’s a photo op and a glamour shot where we become fixated on style rather than substance, on glitter rather than gold, & on our own persuasions rather than stated positions. If you like Democrats and Big Government you love Biden, and if you love Biden, his speech was Reaganesque. If you are a limited government Republican, you, in your mind, rip up Biden’s Bumblings. It’s that simple.
What we ought to be doing is evaluating ideas. It’s not the manner of delivery that matters as much as it is the words delivered. It’s the thoughts behind those words, and the positions those words represent. The same becomes obviously true when we evaluate preaching. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the greatest orators ever, and we could paraphrase him by saying, “it’s not the cut of a man’s cloth that matters, but the character of the content of his conversation.” The Apostle Paul said (Galatians 1:8) “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” And Romans 16:18 speaks of those who by “good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” Give me a preacher who delivers the true Word of God, even if that preacher is not as dynamic and dynamite as the guy wowing the crowd while verbally ripping up God’s Word. We desire truth not theater, and it’s not the manner of delivery, it’s the spiritual meat of the words that are being delivered.
And Nancy, your move was not even original, as in Jeremiah 36:23, King Jehoiakim cut the words of the LORD up with a penknife and ceremoniously chucked them into the fireplace until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. No real problem there, as God gave the words right back to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36:32) and even added a few more choice words to go with them. So much for Nancy Jehoiakim’s posturing.
Let’s get past the manner, and treasure the meat!
Love and blessings to all,
Pastor