I had quite a unique experience this morning. My 4 year old was watching Sesame Street as I was getting ready to head into the office and the episode featured Jimmy Fallon as the “Wild Nature Survivor Guy.” Here is a basic rundown of the episode (if you are interested).
Basically, Jimmy Fallon is discussing what it takes to survive out in the wilderness (think Bear Grylls) even though he is in Sesame Street where there is no real need for survival skills. This is the funny part.
The not so funny part is the way Fallon talks about nature as if nature is god. Numerous times he talks about nature providing everything we need (ie. water, leaves to keep warm, food, etc.). Interestingly, in the politically correct world of Sesame Street, there is no mention of God creating this world to function as it does. There is no mention that it is God who provides for our needs. There is no mention that he causes it to rain on this earth or causes food to grow.
I was reminded of the words of Matthew,
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble (Matthew 6:25-34).
I am by no means calling for a boycott of Sesame Street nor do I believe we should expect anything different from a secular media outlet like this. Sesame Street may be a good resource for teaching kids about various things but we, as Christian parents, must recognize that they will not teach our children the things of the Lord.
In fact, they are teaching the exact opposite of what we believe and we must be prepared to train our children in godliness. We must listen to what is being communicated and then correct the errors that are pouring into our living rooms day after day.
Moses reminds us of our responsibility in Deuteronomy 6:4-9,
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
What a challenge! There is no greater responsibility that we have as Christian parents than to train our children when we sit in our house, when we walk along, when we lie down, when we rise, and when we watch Sesame Street.
Beyond The Sermon 