Sermon Illustrations
NPR Says We Live in an 'Impatient Nation'
An article on NPR claims that we have become "the Impatient Nation." We want quick answers to complex problems. The article puts it this way:
We: Speed date. Eat fast food. Use the self-checkout lines in grocery stores. Try the "one weekend" diet. Pay extra for overnight shipping. Honk when the light turns green. Thrive or dive on quarterly earnings reports. Speak in half sentences. Start things but don't fin ...We cut corners, take shortcuts. We txt.
We: Send new faces to Washington every two years, then vote the rascals out two years later. Clamor for more safety in the skies, then complain when security takes too long—and is inconvenient. Can't take the time to drive to the video store or to wait for a DVD to arrive in the mail, so we order them on demand or stream them on the Web—well, clips of movies at least.
Possible Preaching Angles: (1) God's patience—In our impatient age there is a benefit to God's slowness to act. Scripture tells us that God is slow to act in judgment. God is patient with his people and with a sinful world. (2) Impatience; Patience—Our need to overcome our impatience.