Sunday Morning Scramble School - Idolatry

So in Sunday School for the past two weeks, we've been talking about idolatry. Now, I know that when most of us hear the world "idol," we're either thinking about statues (like Baal in the Israelites' time) or American Idol. But one quote we read from Martin Luther was very interesting:

"As [the First] Commandment is the very first, highest, and best, from which all the others proceed...so also its work, that is, faith or confidence in God's favor at all times, is the very first, highest and best, f rom which all other [works] must proceed, exist, remain, be directed and measured."

Whenever we sin, the root cause is a heart idol, something that replaces God as the most important thing in our lives. As usual, Sunday School reminded me of a couple Odyssey episodes (and an Odyssey song) that deal with idols in our lives.

• Between You and Me, Album 39: Friends, Family, and Countrymen
• In My Image, The Truth Chronicles
• Good Things, Performed by M'kalister Park, Written by Garrett Vandenburg

In Between You and Me, Connie and Mitch begin to spend a lot of time with each other after Mitch's return from the Witness Protection Program, which cuts into Bible study. In this case, Connie and Mitch's idol is their relationship. I love it when Connie gets distressed over Mitch's possible decision and tries to find Whit, but he seems to be trying to avoid her. When she finally gets to talk to him, she tells him that she feels like everyone has abandoned her, even God. Whit looks at her with that sad smile (in my head) and says (in that warm, grandfatherly way), "But who abandoned whom?" This has grown to be one of my favorite Whit scenes, but the emphasis here is putting God preeminently in our lives, not just prominently or remembering him at mealtimes.

In My Image uses the story of William, Affirmus, and Otto to illustrate the idol of ourselves. We don't like God telling us what to do, so we ignore him and rebel by doing what we want to do, which is sin. Thing is, if we're our own god, and we try to get them to follow our ways, it only makes us unhappy. It's only by following God and his paths to find true joy. 

Good Things by Garrett Vandenburg even illustrates how good things, like Adventures in Odyssey, can be idols if they are a higher priority and prominence than God.

It's my addiction

I can't resist the attraction

It's so easy

To lose myself in a place called Odyssey

Is it a sin

If I can't control my reaction?

I can't help but see

That it's starting to take over me

'Cause when good things

Become bad things

You can't exactly trust your gut

And when good things

Become bad things

You can tell because it's never enough

It's never enough

Am I the only one

Who can't control this monster?

Such a simple thing

And it's become such a disaster

'Cause when good things 

Become bad things

When you let them take over your life

And when good things

Become bad things

It gets so hard to see what's right

Thanks for reading, everybody! Hopefully, as you go through life, you can draw parallels from Odyssey to the Bible to your life. 'Cause while there's good things, there's even better: the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

For more information:

Good Things from M'kalister Park, an Odyssey tribute band

Album 39: Friends, Family, and Countrymen

The Truth Chronicles

Hey guys, if you have time, it'd be great if you commented and let us know what you think! And hopefully we'll post about our Live Show experience pretty soon (because it was wonderful, exciting, and discoverable).