Along with a handful of other TV viewers we wasted a couple of hours watching the Oscars last Sunday evening. Why do we sacrifice useful hours before the “idiot box” when we could be doing something constructive – like lobbying for world hunger or working on my macaroni art? Is it to gawk at what the celebrities are wearing this year? Oh, please. Could it be the superficial prattle of the “talking heads” interviewing the movie stars as they make their grand entrances? Nah! The Academy Award Show itself is not particularly interesting either.
I suppose that one of the biggest reasons I like to watch the “Oscars” each year is that deep down I nurture some fantasy that maybe I could get my hands on one of those trophies. Think about it for a moment – it would look good right beside my vast collection of two Little League baseball trophies and a recognition plaque for perfect attendance in the third grade. The problem is I have not quite figured out what category I could qualify for – since I have never even been in a movie. Maybe a big-time director will show up in church one Sunday, listen to my sermon and exuberantly exclaim, “For years we have been looking for a bearded-Baptist-minister-who-looks-like-a-rabbi type.” And the rest will be history.
Don’t you think it would be sort of neat if we could walk around with Oscars and hand them out to deserving individuals? Maybe we could start a trend on Wednesday night. After our meal I could approach the podium and announce, “For the category of Best Attitude in a Church Conference, this year’s Oscar goes to…” Or, “For the category of Softest Lap in the Nursery, this year’s Oscar goes to…” How about, “For the category of best Supporting Church Member, this year’s Oscar goes to…”
The possibilities are endless. But we really do not need a statuette of a bald, gold guy to hand out affirmations. Our words themselves can be the best “award” we can offer to others. I may not ever find myself in Hollywood on the receiving line of an Oscar. But there is no actor in all of Tinseltown that receives as many awards as I do from the great “academy” that I serve as pastor. Take time this week to hand out an Oscar to a deserving recipient.
“Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Grace and Peace,
Greg
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