Recalling Change

The Rev. Joseph Winston

February 21, 2007

Sermon

Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.1
In 1950, the Zenith Radio Corporation introduced a product that dramatically
changed the way people watched television. They invented the first remote con-
trol. By today’s standards, these early remotes were primitive tools. These gadgets
could only perform the basic tasks of turning the TV on and off along with pro-
viding the ability to change channels.
Not everyone was happy with this new fangled device. Housewives com-
plained of the unsightly cord that connected the remote to the TV. Children tripped
over it as they ran to the dinner table. But the men fell in love with the remote. It
gave them the power to surf.
In the early years, only the strongest channel surfed. If you happened to live
1
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians
1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3

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in the promised land with more than one channel, it took forever to go from one
channel to the next. Sunlight confused the next generation of remotes. Zenith’s
next advance was the ultrasonic clicker. Now these devices did not need batteries,
but the complex decoding circuits took six tubes to process the signals, which
raised the final price of the television by 30 percent. Finally, in the 60’s, through
the miracle of the transistor, the prices of remote fell from the stratosphere into
levels that ordinary men could afford. All that was lacking was for all the pieces
to fall together.
The perfect storm that brought channel surfing to the everyman loomed on the
horizon. Electronic costs had brought down not only the costs of the electronics
needed for the remote but these same tools also drove down the cost of the TV
itself. At the first, the cable companies could only rebroadcast other stations’ pro-
grams. This forced them to aggressively market their product. They picked, they
chose, and they combined many different stations into your basic cable contract.
At last, many markets had more than one channel. The final product that brought
this all together into an unstoppable force was the Reclina-Rocker from La-Z-Boy.
You now could be comfortable while you surfed through the many different cable
channels.
The next few years could rightly be called the golden years of channel surfing.
We had cheap content, quality shows, and the time to enjoy the programs. How-
ever, in the intervening years, channel surfing has lost some of its luster. Some of
the so-called experts have associated channel surfing with being lazy, not paying
enough attention to your spouse, and causing hyperactivity in children.

2
 It seems like the allure of channel surfing and the remote itself can be summed
up in one word: choice. We like to turn off that annoying announcer. We want to
change the channel when “those” commercials come on. We enjoy flipping to a
new program whenever we feel like it.
While this might be fine with the shows on television, it does not take much
thought on how this attitude could cause problems in our every day lives. When we
get tired of the demands that our family places on us, we “tune them out.” When
we are bored of our spouses, we “change them out” for another. And when we do
not want to put up with the program, we “switch.” These viewpoints, which seem
to mirror our viewing habits, have caused problems in many parts of American
society. Communication between family members appears to be at an all time low.
The nuclear family is changing dramatically. People and programs have forgotten
why they “do things.”
Today on Ash Wednesday, we have performed an ancient action that is at least
one thousand, three hundred years old. We have had ashes imposed on our fore-
heads.
Society no longer remembers why we do this. To them, these smudges on our
brows are nothing more than dirty marks. The public no longer thinks that they
are dust. Just look outside these doors. Where are the old? Where are the infirm?
Where are the ill? They are kept inside institutions out of our sight. Just turn the
TV off because if we watched this show it would remind us of death.
The organized structure of the church is not much better. Many mega con-
gregations do not hold an Ash Wednesday service because it is “too depressing.”

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Joel Osteen at Lakewood is one ready example. Two programs for this week are
“Change Your Seat” and “Freedom Series.” Both of these activities are based on
Joel’s positive view of the world. This week in the “Change Your Seat,” teenagers
can go play X box 360 games, engage in crazy team competitions, and listen to
cool music. In the “Freedom Series,” Joel tells you that you can go beyond your
limits. What is more interesting than these two brief descriptions is to look at the
other channels on the set. Turn to Africa and see that all the fun and games in the
world cannot hide the fact that even children are mortal. Take a glance over at the
cemetery that Joel tries to black out.
As Christians, we remember why the ashes are forced on us. We are dust
and to dust we shall return. These ancient words that were pronounced over the
members of this congregation recall our heritage. The stuff of our bodies comes
from the earth. We are made from dirt and seawater. What animates us, what
makes us alive, what makes us beings, is God’s breath. Every inspiration is a gift
from God’s mouth into our lungs.
But we do not want to know this basic fact that God gives us our every breath.
We deny this reality by flipping to a station that tells us the news that we want to
hear. The constant drone from the announcer comes out of the loudspeaker, “No
one in the world is more important than you.” Our attention is completely focused
on our selves.
When we switch off God, we sin. We when ignore the needs of others, we sin.
Because of our rebellion, we will die. This information has to be impressed on
us daily. That is why we confess our love for ourselves. If we do not consistently

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remind ourselves of who we are, we will change the channel and conveniently
forget our true nature.
The mark made on our foreheads tonight is not the first nor is it the last mark
of Christ on our bodies. Many years ago, the outline of the cross was drawn on
your brow with oil. This anointing seals the blessing of the Holy Spirit that God
gave to you. Preceding this gift was the most important watermark in your life.
You were baptized. In the water and the words, Christ came to you and said for all
to hear. You are my child. I am well pleased with you. You will receive the gifts
that I have set aside for you because I have already forgiven every one of your sins.
No matter how many other baths you take, no matter how much dirt covers you,
this mark stays with you. Changing the channel or even turning the TV off does
not matter. Christ’s benefits for you are indelibly inscribed in your very being.
The last gown that you will wear carries am exact copy of this cross. The
funeral pall that covers your casket contains a cross, which proclaims to the world,
“I am a Christian. I will live again because Christ saved me.” When the casket
leaves the nave, the pall is removed, and you then are taken to the cemetery. The
final cross that you wear here on earth will be made over your body as it is returned
back to the earth. Now, you have no power to do anything. You cannot channel
surf even if you want to. The pastor will say to you, “earth to earth, ashes to ashes,
dust to dust.”
Even though we like to channel surf, we need to realize what we actually
have the ability to change. As Lutherans, we teach and believe that we cannot do
anything to make God either love us or hate us. Our entire relationship with God

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occurs because God wants it to happen. The only thing that we can do is to turn the
TV off and reject God. When it comes down to our interactions with each other,
we have the ability to flip between channels. This freedom to chose comes with a
caveat. We can do whatever we want as long as we do not race by our brothers in
sisters who need us.
Our only hope in this life is in that first cross that was marked on us. We live
because Christ lives.
“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”2

2
Philippians 4:7.