Recently some friends asked me to be their wedding officiant. So I entered my name and email address into a website and became an ordained minister. The ceremony was last weekend, but I’m not feeling ready to retire from my ministry just yet. Why let all that time I spent entering my name and email address go to waste? Might as well make the most of my #ordained status. With that in mind, here is my Sunday sermon for January 24, 2021:
For most of my life I’ve worked nonstop as an insanely curious video producer, saying yes to virtually any opportunity that came along, paid or unpaid. A really unique part of this job has been getting the opportunity to know tons and tons of extremely different people — through interviews, intentional observation, and simply hanging out. You’ve heard of cop ride-alongs? Imagine that, but with every other occupation or life-situation under the sun, and typically for much longer than a single shift.
I’ve worked closely with truck drivers, school teachers, tech company executives, rappers, slow-pitch softball fanatics, snowmobile race teams, comedians, activists, athletes, “creatives,” small business owners, large business owners, burlesque dancers, monks, mechanics, hunters, “healers,” journalists, farmers, factory workers, welfare recipients, reformed criminals, Hollywood celebrities, Qanon followers, politicians, pastors, and priests. Just to name a few.
Based on countless hours of field research, I’d like to share the following report:
Everyone is pretty much the same. Pretty normal. Pretty chill and nice. Yeah there are always gonna be a few psychos, but hey, someone needs to keep things spicy.
That’s all. (I know, I wish I had something more exciting to report, too. All that work for THIS?)
If you reflexively assume someone is either a white supremacist or a militant Marxist based on where they live or who they voted for or because of something they posted on Facebook when they were all alone and in their feelings, I strongly suggest expanding your social circle. The heightened stress from experiencing constant fear/anger/resentment towards 50% of your fellow citizens will make you a grumpy, unfun person, and you will die early. I want you to live your best, longest life.
Try to set aside some time you’d normally spend reading biased news sources or arguing with complete strangers on social media, and instead spend that time finding somewhere to volunteer, a random club to join, a new place to travel, just anything where you will be getting to know new and different-from-you people. Tough to do right now, I know. (Thanks, Corona.) But it’s the perfect time to research some things (would love to hear ideas in the comments) and make an action plan for later this year when the masks come off.
~Rev. Matthew R. Houchin