Roman Gladiators and smart phones

Pastor Phil Kniss began his sermon today by extolling a gift we have all been given by God...the gift for the desire of knowledge. But this appetite needs to be tempered, or controlled.  Drawing heavily on the work of Dr. Douglas Henry, Pastor Phil spoke of "curiositas" and "studiositas". These two words mean curiosity and studiousness. They speak to HOW we want to know. Are we simply curious or are we seeking deeper knowledge, knowledge that requires us to work to get? Christian philosophers view curiosity as sinful. Do we seek shallow, trendy, quirky knowledge? Or are we seeking after deeper understanding? Jesus, during his time of temptation in the desert outlined in Luke 4:1-13, was tempted to embrace "curiositas", to take the truth about himself and manage it, use it to his advantage, just as we are tempted to use our power and knowledge to our advantage. But Jesus chose to use his power and knowledge to go deeper into who he was called to  become. We are invited to become more deeply involved in this world, and in the lives of others, as we studiously seek out knowledge. The connection between Roman gladiators and smart phones? Well, dig a bit deeper, listen studiously, and you'll learn.