I recently made a purchase at ________ (rhymes with “Staples”) retail establishment and received a receipt that was approximately a meter and a half in length. Long gone are the days that we simply were handed a slip of paper the size of a thumbnail with cost of item, tax, and total. Anybody remember those days? A standard cash register was the size of a blacksmith’s anvil and about as heavy. And the anvil was only slightly less adept at calculating. I get it. It’s helpful to have the store/restaurant name and date included on the receipt. Not only does the additional info help our accountants prepare our tax returns, in theory, but can provide a potential alibi if ever hauled before a hearing, inquisition, or tribunal of some kind or another. So after tendering my credit card, a computerized mechanism we used to call a cash register proceeded to spew a printout containing not only where and when the transaction occurred, and how much I spent, but much more. I didn’t bother reading it at the time, because I had stuff to do that day. When I did have an extra moment or hour, I perused this modern-day scroll. Much more than the aforementioned basic information was provided; a survey of my whatever we call cashiers nowadays performance, friendliness, hygiene, posture, and understanding of macroeconomics was included as well. Furthermore, I got a coupon for every related product sold in the tri-state region, an online contest for a generous gift card, an abridged review of the Magna Carta, and a delightful gluten-free lemon bar recipe. And don’t think I won’t be serving those lemon bars to my posse on Bunko night! But it seems as though the price paid can be obscured in the onslaught of data.
I’m not suggesting that any of this is wrong or bad. Perhaps the application to our own lives is to keep the main thing the main thing, to state the obvious. In the crush of information overload, this is easier understood than practiced. The Apostle Paul was well versed in the philosophy, culture, and traditions of his day. Nowhere In Scripture are we taught that ignorance is bliss. In order to relate to those with whom we interact, it is helpful to connect on common ground or shared experience (1Cor. 9:22). Having done so, we need to further our engagement with that which ultimately and absolutely matters. Paul purposed to preach Jesus and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are also called to go and do likewise. (Mat. 28:18-20). Afterwards, come on by for some leftover lemon bars. But get here quickly; those things are awesome!
