Last Sunday I watched the Vikings-Packers game and Brett Favre's highly-anticipated return to Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI. The hoopla surrounding Favre’s ‘homecoming’ to the field where he won so many games was incredible. Recognizing this, FOX television had a special camera dubbed the “Favre-Cam” trained on the 40 year-old quarterback from the second he took the field against his former team until the moment he ran back into the locker room after the game. This constant video feed was available to fans by logging on FOXSports.com. It was actually pretty cool; even during commercials you could look on your PC and there was Brett; Brett looking at press box photos of the Packers defense, Brett chatting with his receivers, Brett on the phone to his coaches upstairs, Brett blowing his nose, Brett ribbing a referee, Brett grinning, Brett frowning, and so on.
While I admit it was pretty cool to watch, it was also just a little creepy. It reminded me of the Truman Show – that movie where Truman’s (“True Man?”) every move was watched over by Christof (‘Christ?”) and caught on camera and televised to the whole world. It was almost that bad; I halfway expected the camera and live feed to never shut off. Imagine that; Favre snapping towels in the locker room, Favre in the shower; Favre stuck in traffic; Favre arriving at home….
I remember when I was a little child I imagined God had a camera trained on me all the time. I guess I got the idea from the old Christmas song, remember? “He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.” Like Santa Claus, I figured God was watching me 24/7 so I’d better behave. There were times when this thought was comforting; I figured I could always call out to God and he’d rescue me if I got in a really tight spot (perhaps if I was, say, drowning). But as I grew older, more often than not, the thought that God was always watching made me very uncomfortable.
God does see, you know. Job 28:24 says, “God views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.” Yes, he is watching. Yes, he does know. And yes, like Santa, God loves us. He wants to see us happy. He gives us many of the things we ask for. But, also like Santa, God can be very stern, and he doesn’t hesitate to punish (see the Old Testament).
Is it fair to lump God and Santa Claus together like this? Is it fair to perceive of God as a great cosmic Santa watching, or perhaps even worse, 'directing' every move we make? Is God really an adult version of Santa as this might lead us to believe? If not, then how can we move toward a better understanding of God than the one many of us presently have? Speaking for myself, I must admit I have some work to do here. Watching the “Favre-Cam” last Sunday afternoon made me realize that.
While I admit it was pretty cool to watch, it was also just a little creepy. It reminded me of the Truman Show – that movie where Truman’s (“True Man?”) every move was watched over by Christof (‘Christ?”) and caught on camera and televised to the whole world. It was almost that bad; I halfway expected the camera and live feed to never shut off. Imagine that; Favre snapping towels in the locker room, Favre in the shower; Favre stuck in traffic; Favre arriving at home….
I remember when I was a little child I imagined God had a camera trained on me all the time. I guess I got the idea from the old Christmas song, remember? “He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.” Like Santa Claus, I figured God was watching me 24/7 so I’d better behave. There were times when this thought was comforting; I figured I could always call out to God and he’d rescue me if I got in a really tight spot (perhaps if I was, say, drowning). But as I grew older, more often than not, the thought that God was always watching made me very uncomfortable.
God does see, you know. Job 28:24 says, “God views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.” Yes, he is watching. Yes, he does know. And yes, like Santa, God loves us. He wants to see us happy. He gives us many of the things we ask for. But, also like Santa, God can be very stern, and he doesn’t hesitate to punish (see the Old Testament).
Is it fair to lump God and Santa Claus together like this? Is it fair to perceive of God as a great cosmic Santa watching, or perhaps even worse, 'directing' every move we make? Is God really an adult version of Santa as this might lead us to believe? If not, then how can we move toward a better understanding of God than the one many of us presently have? Speaking for myself, I must admit I have some work to do here. Watching the “Favre-Cam” last Sunday afternoon made me realize that.
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