Unconventional Wisdom
One of the cautionary tales of our times is our propensity to assume the truth of things we have heard repeated again and again and again. Repetition becomes a credibility substitute for reliable sourcing, especially online. In the sermon Fr. Garrett lauds a courageous seeker of truth who goes straight to the source, at some personal risk, in order to learn some life changing (and definitely unconventional) wisdom (John 3:1-17). While it often feels easier socially to go along with the crowd, it can be vastly more enlightening to employ some healthy skepticism to assertions that seem a little too neat and simple. Statements beginning with "The Bible says..." or "God wants..." have been used too often to further human agendas over divine ones. The antidote? Find an informed and trustworthy source of information and then use your own good discernment.