Whatever it Takes

While the world is shrugging its shoulders and saying "yada, yada, yada," and "Whatever!" Christians are saying to the world, "Whatever it takes!"

[Note: This sermon relies, in part, on one of the most famous images in the history of Christian art, Michelangelo's fresco for the Sistine Ceiling (1508-1512), "The Creation of Adam," the fourth picture in the center of the ceiling vault, where God lets life flow into the body of Adam. Secure a copy of this in advance to project for viewing, or make photocopies from a copy in the public domain for distribution to the congregation.]

One of the more recent TV-based trends has been the rise in everyday conversation of what we might call "sitcom-shorthand." There is hardly a sitcom on the air that hasn't employed this particularly dismissive, flippant SeinLanguage during the course of a conversation. You've heard it. Chances are you've used it. You've used it without halting for a second to consider the "it's of no importance to me" put-down attitude it reflects. This sitcom shorthand is the familiar "yada, yada, yada" brought to the national consciousness courtesy of Seinfeld....