Sermons by Rev. Jason S. Glombicki (Page 76)

One series, above all others, has taken Netflix by storm the past month. The timing was perfect for its release. Right before Christmas allowed time for people to binge watch the series over the holidays. This series is entitled “Making a Murder.” It has captivated individuals from every facet of life to learn about Steven Avery in this first season. I’m not going to give any spoilers away, so don’t worry if you haven’t seen it. Very briefly I’ll note that Steven Avery was formerly convicted of sexual assault in 1985. 18 years later he was released when DNA evidence linked the assault to another man. As a result, Steven decides to file a lawsuit against the county associated with his prison sentence. Shortly after this lawsuit was filed, Steven was accused of a murder. The series goes through his court trial for the murder, and at times it’s hard to figure out whose voice to listen to. Do we listen to the Steven? What about the state prosecutor? How about Steven’s family? Can the police even be trusted? Is the media spinning inaccuracies? Can we trust the children? There are so many angles, so many possibilities, and so many voices.

I think I’ve turned into a Christmas Grinch. Yeah, it might not good form for a pastor to admit this openly. This year I’ve struggled more than most wondering why in the world do we bother with this stressful, emotional, and exhausting month.

Music. We sing throughout our worship service, we sing in the car, and we sing carols during the holidays. It all makes me wonder: “why did humans start making music?” Some say it could have been some sort of mating call. Others think it might have been a way to scare off predators. Yet a recent study of songs from around the world came to an interesting conclusion. Co-author Thomas Currie says, “The results show that the most common features seen in music around the world relate to things that allow people to coordinate their actions, and suggests that the main function of music is to bring people together and bond social groups. It can be a kind of social glue.”[1] To me, that “social glue” makes sense. At a Childish Gambino or Madonna concert perhaps we can be drawn in to others. When we sing in church we acknowledge our collective participation in the work of God. Yet, songs also function to incite something in us.