The Netflix show Black Mirror is about the future. Each episode is a standalone, with no connection to the rest of the episodes, so they’re like mini-movies. The theme of Black Mirror is to imagine what the future will be like if medicine, artificial intelligence, social media and electronics continue to advance. In particular, Black Mirror tries to answer the question, “What could go wrong?” In that sense, Black Mirror is prophetic.
For example, one episode imagines a device that allows doctors to feel what their patients are feeling. If you’ve ever been to the doctor, and you complain about pain you’re feeling in your body, they will ask you to describe it. Usually they will ask you to rank it on a scale of 1 to 10. If you’ve had kidney stones or shingles, you might say, “12!!!”
But a doctor doesn’t really know what that means. One person’s “12” might be another person’s “6.” We experience pain differently. Some people have a high tolerance for pain, others have a low tolerance. It would be a great help if doctor’s could actually feel their patients’ pain level.
While there is no such device like that (yet), I encourage you to try to think about others’ pain. More than likely, not only have you experienced pain, but you have walked with others as they experienced pain. I’ve mentioned the shingles and the kidney stones. My guess is that you know people who have battled cancer, undergone surgery, or struggled with sickness. Think about what we all went through in 2020 and 2021 during Covid. For some of you, Covid was particularly difficult.
There are many other ways we experience pain. Some of you have lost loved ones. Some of you have lost jobs. Some of you have lost close relationships. Some of you have struggled with loved ones. Some of you have struggled in your jobs. Some of you are in the middle of the pain right now. My family is waiting for the birth of our granddaughter, who has an underdeveloped heart. Plans are set for her to be born, and then rush into surgery. Right now we’re waiting. Things are okay, but in a month from now, we could be a family in pain. Waiting is its own kind of pain.
What do we do in the middle of our pain? This Advent season, we’ve turned to the psalms, looking at a variety of genres of psalms, seeking to prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of King Jesus, remembering his first coming, while at the same time readying ourselves for his second coming. To do that, we’ve looked at psalms of lament and confession, and this week, Psalm 30,
1 I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.
3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.
4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
6 When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”
7 Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.
8 To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.”
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
Did you notice that there appears to be an intentional structure to the way David wrote this psalm? No? Some scholars see the structure. In the next post, we’ll start to see it.
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
Engaging Scripture 