Oct 28, 2014

“Beam me up, Scotty!”

 Sharing the journey with you

Pastor Scott Hausrath North Loup, NE

 

 

 

 

I recently watched a documentary by William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk on “Star Trek.” He was trying to determine why so many people continue to attend Star Trek conventions almost fifty years after the first show aired on TV. I became a “Trekkie” when I was in high school, and my attraction to the Star Trek universe continues to this day. I was very interested in hearing Shatner’s thoughts on this.

At the annual Star Trek convention in Las Vegas, boasting an attendance of approximately 20,000 people over four days, Shatner discussed this subject with many Trekkies. His ultimate conclusion was that attendance at these annual conventions (and involvement with Trekkies throughout the year) provides people with three things that each human needs: community, hope, and love.

One comment that Shatner kept hearing from people was that they felt at home with other Trekkies because of their mutual understanding of one another. “They get me,” was the phrase that was repeated so many times at the convention in Las Vegas. This led me to think about our role as ambassadors of Jesus Christ: How are we doing at providing people with community, hope, and love? Do we take the time to “get people,” or do we merely brush them off when we’re not sure where they’re coming from?

It seems that we are most comfortable when we are dealing with people who are similar to us. We understand them and they understand us. We become uncomfortable, sometimes even afraid, when we are among people who are different from us — different in how they look, what they say, and what they believe. However, God isn’t calling us to be comfortable. He’s calling us to be compassionate.

Today’s society is extremely fractured. Many people are lacking community, hope, and love. We have the amazing privilege of offering the love of God to these people. The next time you find yourself feeling uncomfortable around someone who is different from you, remember one foundational truth you share with that person: Both of you were created in God’s image.

As you make the effort to reach out to someone who is different, you may very well be going where no one has gone before. That makes all the difference in the world!