Erica and Pastor Jesse talk about the recent passing of actor Matthew Perry, known for his role as Chandler Bing on the TV show Friends, and cover the unique grief people feel for celebrities they’ve never met.
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Guest: Pastor Jesse from Grace Community Church in Auburn / Host of the brand-new Bonfire Podcast on Purposely.
Do you have a question about faith that you’d love Pastor Jesse and Erica to talk about on the radio? Connect with Erica at Mornings@SPIRIT1053.com!
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TRANSCRIPTION:
Erica:
It’s strange to grieve the life of a friend you never met, but I know so many people, including my sister and my daughter, are mourning the loss of Matthew Perry who played Chandler Binging on the beloved TV show, Friends. And perhaps you’re thinking right now. “Yeah, me too. This has been really hard on my heart.” Well, we’re so glad you could join us today for Faith Filter with Pastor Jesse. This is where you and I take a look at something trending on social media, and then we take those feelings we have about it and we put all of that through the filter of what we believe,. Through the filter of what the Bible says about it, what our hope in Christ says about it. And we always come out the other side feeling a little better and a little brighter. Pastor Jesse, so glad you’re here. It’s always good to spend time with you.
Pastor Jesse:
Good to connect, and I’m so glad that we can see God together.
Erica:
Yeah, it really is a privilege to just pause for a moment and talk about the things that really matter. And we’ve all heard the news by now that Matthew Perry passed away at the age of 54, which I know, it just feels so young. And so many people are grieving his death as if they knew him, including my sister who was saying to me, Erica, it’s like he’s been in my living room for 20 years and there are so many emotions. And I just believe, Pastor Jesse, that God understands why we’re grieving over a person we’ve never met because he knows our hearts, right?
Pastor Jesse:
That’s right. And we have unique relationships with celebrities because we know them, but we don’t really know them. And in a lot of languages, there’s two words for the word “no.” Two meanings like in Spanish, and one means you know about, and then the other one means you personally know. And with celebrities, we know about them, but we don’t have their cell phone. We don’t call ’em up, don’t text them. And a lot of us kind of have that dynamic in our relationships because through social media now, most people have a presence or a platform and you kind of know other people, but at the same time you’re not really talking with them. So, sorting through emotions in the middle of that, it’s something unique. I mean, the last 20 years, things have really changed in that way. It reminds me of, I guess two things. One is that all of us have a platform, and Matthew Perry had a huge platform. But all of us have a platform with probably far more people than we realize. And even when we post things like on social media, the ripple effect is massive. I mean, Matthew Perry would probably be surprised even with his own reach, and his death, and how it catches our attention, our affection, we care. And also it reminds me too that we need close relationships because virtual relationships aren’t full, and we need to be in person. Howard Hendricks used to say,
You can impress from distance, but you impact up close.
And yes, it’s fine to be on social media. Yes, we can really have an influence there in one sense, what you post is important, the tone you bring, the positivity, the faith, maybe you share your story. There’s a lot of opportunities there. It’s a great platform, but we need the close relationships and ultimately the people around us where we live, work, learn to play… I mean, that’s the depth that we really have in life.
Erica:
Absolutely. I love your take on that. We really do all have a platform, and God uses every single one of us every day to be his salt and light in the world. And something I so appreciate about the Lord, is that he understands our humanness. He experienced everything that you and I are ever going to experience on this planet. He felt the kind of emotions that we feel.
Pastor Jesse:
That’s right. We all have emotions and they’re part of our makeup. We don’t want emotions to be stuffed in the trunk. We don’t want to let emotions drive our lives with the steering wheel, but they’re in the car. And how do we sort through that? And even with God, we have emotions with God. So, you never should feel bad about grieving. That’s normal. You’re not less spiritual. Even if it’s a celebrity and you grieve because death has a closure to it. There’s a finality. Jesus was at a funeral. He understood emotion. The shortest words in the Bible, the shortest verse, “Jesus wept.” Two words, and that’s John chapter 11. And he enters into the pain. So, he cares about us. He comforts us when we grieve. And he also shared a hope beyond our grief, greater than our mourning. And he said, I’m the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, you have eternal life.
Erica:
It’s the greatest story in history, and it’s true. And something I’m thinking about as I consider Matthew Perry is that so many of us feel like we knew him, but we didn’t really know him. And it can be like that with Jesus as well. So, how would you describe what it’s like to really know the Lord?
Pastor Jesse:
It’s a personal relationship, so far beyond any of his rules or rituals, principles… This is closeness with Jesus and to know Jesus, but your trust in him, he died first sins and he is risen. You can not only know about Jesus, you can personally know Jesus. Good Shepherd, listen to him, walk with him, follow him, and you won’t have a better leader. When you think about celebrities, you might not ever get a chance to know them, but Jesus Christ is the most well-known. The Bible is the most well-read, and when you read about it, you can know him. And it’s awesome that he breaks through into our lives like that.
Erica:
I’m so thankful that he really is the friend who sticks closer than a brother, just like the Bible says. Pastor Jesse from Grace Community Church and host of The Bonfire Podcast, thank you so much for hanging out with us. Time with you is well spent, my friend.
Pastor Jesse:
Thank you, Erica. Great to talk with you too. We’re all so grateful for the God of comfort. We all need his comfort. And just hold onto his promises today.
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