Techno God

Appreciating God’s omnipresence and omniscience

10/20/2017

Luke 12:1-7 Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples, "There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows."

           Technology can be both terrific but also terrifying. It’s terrific because it enhances our lives in countless ways. You can find everything on the internet: from homily podcasts posted on Facebook, to how to make the perfect martini. But do not listen to homilies while operating heavy machinery, it could be hazardous to your health. On the other hand, technology also records and remembers everything you do on the internet: every one of your key strokes, each one of your searches, and all your idle browsing for funny cat videos. It is all stored somewhere; and just hitting the “delete” button does not erase anything completely. That’s what I mean that technology is both terrific but also a little terrifying.

          In the gospel today, Jesus explains that God, too, knows and see everything. Jesus warns: “There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.” But Jesus also adds that this should be a cause for comfort not for concern, saying, “Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid.” In other words, like modern technology, God knows everything and never forgets anything we say or do. But unlike technology, God stores and saves everything we do because he loves us and wants us to be supremely happy. Technology only wants to make the people who made technology supremely happy, and supremely rich.

           How do you feel about the fact of losing your privacy? Most Americans don’t like it, because we believe we have a “right to privacy.” We don’t like others sticking their nose into our private lives. The U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said: “The right to privacy is the right to be left alone.” We Americans like people to leave us alone. But folks, we do not have a right to be left alone from God. That’s like saying a toddler has a right to be left alone from his or her parents, which is nonsense.

          Technology is a little terrifying because it has invaded our so-called right to privacy. But maybe that’s not all bad because it reminds us that God was always there watching everything we say and do in private already. It’s not the growth of technology we should be so worried about, rather, it’s how we behave in private that we should worry about. No one has a right to be left alone from God.

Praised be Jesus Christ!