Date: Aug. 22, 2017
On August 27, we will be starting a new series from the book of Daniel called Living in the Upside Down. The series' concept comes from a couple of areas.
One meaning is from the Netflix show Stranger Things. In the show, a boy named Will Byers is taken by a creature and the eight episodes are about finding Will. However, finding Will is not an easy because he is taken by the monster into a parallel dimension, a place the exists alongside our own reality. The dimension is given the name The Upside Down because it is a mirror of our own. It is a place filled with vines, decay and terrifying monsters. The atmosphere is toxic as there are spores everywhere, and it is dark.
As Christians, we read in the Bible about God’s great kingdom: a place of light, goodness, love and hope. Then, we look around at the world and what we see is darkness, decay, hatred and fear. The atmosphere is toxic in today’s world. It is almost like we are living in The Upside Down.
The other meaning is a more simple one: that we are living in an upside down world, where up is down, good is bad, and hatred and revenge are more common than love and grace.
As Christians, it can be hard to reconcile how to live in such an environment. Some want to isolate themselves and try to live like their community is heaven on earth. Some fall in with the darkness and become no different than the rest of the world. The book of Daniel gives another option. Through Daniel and his friends, we will see how to tackle living in a crazy messed up world and what it truly means to be set apart for God’s purpose.
