The original plan was for us to be in Erie this weekend. That left me with no place on my list to attend today. Thought maybe it would be a good time to see what's on the television. Couldn't find anything on at 9am or later on the lower channels, so I left the news on. After doing some chores and making tea, I decided I didn't want the news and checked the upper channels. Oops, the show I wanted was on at 9am but on Lifetime! So I got out the computer and looked up Joel Osteen and found that he livestreamed an upload every week at 8:30am. I clicked on the one dated today.
I haven't check up on Joel in almost ten years, but his message has not changed. He is still a prosperity gospel motivational speaker with only one message. Since the message was the same and there would be no surprises, I decided to listen for other information trying again to find the appeal of his message.
A little more about the actual message first, though. Since it is the final Sunday before Christmas I thought maybe there would be something about the birth of Jesus. I was disappointed. He focused on Jesus sending the disciples to follow the man to the upper room where the room had already been set up for the Passover meal. He told the story of the colt that was ready and waiting for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem, mentioning that this was to fulfill Isaiah. He talked about David already being selected for annointing as king, even though Jesse and Samuel did not realize it was the youngest son who should have been presented. He even talked about Joseph and how the caravan was in the right place at the right time to take Joseph into Egypt.
He included contemporary stories about them getting the stadium for their church, his mother getting a swimming pool in the backyard, and a car being pulled from a bridge by one of only three forklifts in existence that could do the job.
He kept repeating the mantra....what God has for you no one else can take from you. As I listened to his list of what these things were, I realized who is audience is. It seems that Joel is preaching to white collar, upper level, men. Oh, he occasionally throws in a woman like the one who was in the right place to invite them to hold a service at the new Yankee stadium, but listen to what he kept saying that God was holding just for you.
God has your contract, your promotion, your girlfriend, your house just waiting for the right time to present them to you. Yep, he kept talking about contracts and promotions. He kept talking about prosperity in terms of upward mobility. He didn't talk about personal growth. It was all about stuff...and girlfriends!
Well, that was church for today. Hoping to get my mom to attend Christmas Eve at the hometown church, not sure what is on the schedule for next Sunday. We'll have turned the corner and will be heading into the second six months of this sabbath journey.
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