The Danger of Being Cancelled

“Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe.”

Hebrews 12:28 ESV

I consider myself a reasonably intelligent fellow, but I am having a bit of difficulty understanding a recent cultural term. Perhaps you can assist me in wrapping my brain around the phrase, “The cancel culture.” What exactly does that mean? The best I can understand, if I say or do something that someone, somewhere in a faraway enclave of society does not agree with, I can be cancelled. Cancelled from what and who has the power to do that and why would I care and… The questions are endless. Am I canceled like you would cancel a television series with poor ratings or a magazine you no longer want? If I am canceled can I be uncanceled if I obey whatever restrictions, you have placed upon me? Maybe I’ve been cancelled, and I don’t even know it. Perhaps I should crawl back in bed and cancel all my appointments. I was excited about a project today but if I’ve been canceled what’s the use? Please someone explain this recent phenomenon. I sit in my house in a cold sweat, terrified that someone, somewhere is going to cancel me today. I have stopped checking my emails and phone messages in the fear that I will get that dreaded message, “YOU HAVE BEEN CANCELLED.”

The writer to the Hebrews stated this, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe.” In contrast, to a world that threatens to shake us by canceling us, God encourages us to be grateful because we are in the process of receiving a kingdom that will never be canceled, because it is unshakable. Notice the verse does not say that we have received the kingdom, neither does it say that we will receive the kingdom at some future time. The verse declares that we are receiving, present ongoing tense, the kingdom of God. Each day, as we arise, we are to receive the unshakable kingdom of Jesus Christ in our lives. The society we live in is a shaking mess, the culture we are attached to quakes, governmental leaders come and go, but we are not aligned with those things. We are citizens who have bowed down to the King of glory and therefore no man or world event can ultimately shake us off of that foundation. We, who have trusted Christ, are unshakable.

With that encouragement I have just checked my emails and my phone messages. As far as I can tell I have received no notifications that I have been canceled. As I sit in my easy chair writing this article the sun has just risen. Shades of light are poking into my bedroom through the window shades. Apparently, God has not canceled the day so I suppose I should get dressed and tackle those projects.