The Super Bowl is just a couple of days away. Watching the news this morning, CBS is promoting having both the Super Bowl and the fact that Stephen Colbert will be hosting a live version of "The Late Show" immediately after the game. It's interesting to watch Colbert who assumed the role of host of "The Late Show" after long-time host David Letterman. I watched Letterman since college when the show came out, and as Roger Ebert once said, "Quentin Tarantino (film director of movies such as "Pulp Fiction" among others) is to Martin Scorcese (film director of many classic mob movies) what David Letterman is to Johnny Carson." That comparison means this: David was the anti-late night host who assumed the role of a late night host by basically spoofing the late night show.
Colbert brings his own style to the game, but his style is much more conventional. It's less in-your- face than Letterman's was, including his interaction with network execs, often a target of ridicule from Letterman. So, watching Colbert "hawk" his show, I wondered if Letterman would have even gotten up this early and put on a suit to do a morning show promo (something he was critical of execs for not doing yet often times showing a reluctance to do just that). Colbert seems to know the path to success is from respecting the conventional wisdom while exhibiting a flair for "edgy" humor, a fine line to walk to draw an audience while not alienating the very hand that feeds him. So, the post-Super Bowl show should be interesting as it is live and surely will contain humor about the biggest annual television show that proceeds his.
Daniel's response to Nebuchadnezzar's command to bow and worship him is interesting for several reasons. Yesterday (Devotion 2.4.16) we looked at Daniel standing firm (Daniel 3) after the king asks in a rage, "Who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?" (v 15) Daniel responds, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it know to you, o king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (3:16 - 17) It is interesting to note that Daniel stands firm in his faith, acknowledging that God will deliver him, either from the death in the fiery furnace, but if not, they still won't worship the king. Yet through it all, Daniel never acts arrogant in his response. He is respectful toward the earthly king who holds him captive, yet he is firm in his faith and respectful toward God's decision in the matter.
What does that say to us? How do we, as Christians, speak our objections to earthly matters that we find go against our faith? Do we speak with the respect of Daniel (and later with Christ who in truth only speaks in edgy terms to leaders of faith) or do we speak with tones of arrogance? Daniel in his trouble and Christ in the garden both show a respect in spite of facing certain death. Christ even commanding a disciple to lower his sword (Matthew 26).
Pray that we stand firm in our faith, but that our light shines even in our firmness. Pray that we use wisdom and discernment (both gifts to Daniel) when confronted with challenges to that faith and that our response is a witness to our faith as much as our answer itself.
Hope Men's Ministry
Personally, I'm going for the Kubiak and Phillips led Broncos with their Houston ties (both are from Houston and coached there, just in case you forgot), but no, I'm not pulling for them to the point of buying Bronco stuff. This is a two-time (the championship game as well) thing.
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