For the second time in as many years, a prestigious international awards show has been upstaged by a stupendous gaffe!
In December, 2015, American celebrity Steve Harvey was emceeing the Miss Universe contest in Las Vegas when he mistakenly announced the first runner up, Miss Colombia, as the winner. After realizing his blunder, he then correctly awarded the crown to Miss Philippines.
To make matters worse, he then sent out a tweet apologizing to both contestants, only to incorrectly spell Colombia (as Columbia) and Philippines (as Philippians) in the process! For months to come, Harvey was scorned and ridiculed. Clearly, few people thought such a blooper could ever be out done.
And then came this year’s Academy Awards! In February of 2017, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were presenting the Oscar for the Best Picture when they read the name of the movie, “La La Land”. The problem was that they had been accidentally handed the envelope containing the winner for best actress in a leading role. (This was later confirmed by photos.)
Producers immediately stepped in and clarified the slip-up, correctly awarding the Best picture Oscar to the movie, “Moonlight”, instead. All in all, it was an epic mistake!
The Accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has handled the Academy Awards for 83 years. Before, it was all done, the two PwC employees who had handed out the wrong envelope had received death threats on social media and had photos of their homes had been posted online. As a result, PwC had to provide security at their homes.
Later, under pressure, it was announced that these same two employees would remain partners at PwC, but would no longer be on the firm's team working for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It remains to be seen whether they will be terminated.
All of these things are embarrassing at least and injurious at worst. In truth, millions and millions of dollars are at stake on nights like these. Even more significant, entire careers are made and/or destroyed as a result of winning and/or losing such prestigious awards. Accordingly, one’s joy for those who won is always somewhat tempered by the feelings one has for those who lost out.
And yet, even the magnitude of having first won and then lost either an Academy Award or an international beauty contest such as the Miss Universe Pageant pales in comparison to the significance of what the Bible tells us that men and women first had and then lost in the Garden of Eden.
For it was here, as is recorded in Genesis, chapter 3, that Adam and Eve had paradise within their grasp. Be it ever so briefly, they lived in a perfect state in a perfect world. Life was as God intended it to be.
Unfortunately, the tempter soon entered the Garden and proffered the forbidden fruit, enticing men and women to disobey God. And in that moment, mankind lost the greatest of all blessings, as men and women fell under the curse of sin, which was and is a death sentence for having violated God’s commands. And that, my friends, is the most epic mistake ever made!
And yet, the good news is that God did not leave us to our just deserts. Rather, He allowed His one and only Son, the perfect, spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, to be vicariously sacrificed on our behalf. As a result, God’s justice was satisfied and men and women were allowed to remain a part of His family as His children for all eternity.
Epic mistake? Yes! Epic correction? Even more so!
As the Bible says in the New Testament Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 16-18:
16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Epic problem. Even more epic solution! Amen and Amen!
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/niv/john/3.htm.
In December, 2015, American celebrity Steve Harvey was emceeing the Miss Universe contest in Las Vegas when he mistakenly announced the first runner up, Miss Colombia, as the winner. After realizing his blunder, he then correctly awarded the crown to Miss Philippines.
To make matters worse, he then sent out a tweet apologizing to both contestants, only to incorrectly spell Colombia (as Columbia) and Philippines (as Philippians) in the process! For months to come, Harvey was scorned and ridiculed. Clearly, few people thought such a blooper could ever be out done.
And then came this year’s Academy Awards! In February of 2017, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were presenting the Oscar for the Best Picture when they read the name of the movie, “La La Land”. The problem was that they had been accidentally handed the envelope containing the winner for best actress in a leading role. (This was later confirmed by photos.)
Producers immediately stepped in and clarified the slip-up, correctly awarding the Best picture Oscar to the movie, “Moonlight”, instead. All in all, it was an epic mistake!
The Accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has handled the Academy Awards for 83 years. Before, it was all done, the two PwC employees who had handed out the wrong envelope had received death threats on social media and had photos of their homes had been posted online. As a result, PwC had to provide security at their homes.
Later, under pressure, it was announced that these same two employees would remain partners at PwC, but would no longer be on the firm's team working for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It remains to be seen whether they will be terminated.
All of these things are embarrassing at least and injurious at worst. In truth, millions and millions of dollars are at stake on nights like these. Even more significant, entire careers are made and/or destroyed as a result of winning and/or losing such prestigious awards. Accordingly, one’s joy for those who won is always somewhat tempered by the feelings one has for those who lost out.
And yet, even the magnitude of having first won and then lost either an Academy Award or an international beauty contest such as the Miss Universe Pageant pales in comparison to the significance of what the Bible tells us that men and women first had and then lost in the Garden of Eden.
For it was here, as is recorded in Genesis, chapter 3, that Adam and Eve had paradise within their grasp. Be it ever so briefly, they lived in a perfect state in a perfect world. Life was as God intended it to be.
Unfortunately, the tempter soon entered the Garden and proffered the forbidden fruit, enticing men and women to disobey God. And in that moment, mankind lost the greatest of all blessings, as men and women fell under the curse of sin, which was and is a death sentence for having violated God’s commands. And that, my friends, is the most epic mistake ever made!
And yet, the good news is that God did not leave us to our just deserts. Rather, He allowed His one and only Son, the perfect, spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, to be vicariously sacrificed on our behalf. As a result, God’s justice was satisfied and men and women were allowed to remain a part of His family as His children for all eternity.
Epic mistake? Yes! Epic correction? Even more so!
As the Bible says in the New Testament Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 16-18:
16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Epic problem. Even more epic solution! Amen and Amen!
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/niv/john/3.htm.