“My voice without lies; this is what it sounds like.” Rumi (KPop Demon Hunters) read 2 Corinthians 13:5. The Apostle Paul invites us to look within our soul, examine ourselves, and take an inventory of our faith. He mentioned it in both letters to the Corinthians. In the first letter, he instructs us to examine ourselves as we come to the table to receive the elements of the Lord’s Supper. In the second letter, the examination of conscience is to further reflect on our own contribution to disrupting the harmony of the church through gossiping, arrogance, or petty arguments. A subplot of the movie "KPop Demon Hunters" is about Rumi, the lead singer of Huntrix, struggling with a secret, living two lives, trying to please both sides. She concludes that she must no longer live with lies, but before she can share her secret with her friends, they find out and are devastated that Rumi didn’t trust them enough to be honest with them. The group is split. “What it Sounds Like” is Rumi’s apology song and her determination to be who she was born to be without shame. As she comes clean with her secret, she sings, “My voice without lies, this is what it sounds like.” The truth has set her free and has paved the way for Mira and Zoey to be reconciled with Rumi. Friendships are based on trust. Church is built on faith, love, and trust. The church included passing the peace in its worship services as early as the first century in order for people to be reconciled with one another because unity is that important. Step 4 of the 12 steps in Alcoholics Anonymous is “Take a fearless self-inventory.” Addictions are perpetuated through lies. Addictive behavior leads to distrust and broken relationships. The person in recovery takes a self-inventory, first facing the truth of his or her own mistakes and their consequences. The Apostle Paul asks all of us to do the same thing when we wrote, “Examine yourself.”

Prayer from Psalm 139: Search me God and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is anything offensive way in me. Lead me to the way everlasting. Amen.