The lesson the other Sunday was Jesus’ parable of “the foolish rich man” – the guy who thinks he has it all and wants more. So he builds bigger “barns” to hold his ever increasing possessions, only to die holding a dubious value system. (see Luke 12) This lesson has a real tendency to get next to us affluent Americans, and rightly so. My sermon, as did Jesus’ parable, challenged our priorities and called for us all to live more faithfully with our resources.
A line in that sermon commented about our culture growing us more into consumers than citizens. It called to mind an experience one of our daughters recently had with her then almost 3 year old daughter. Their family had recently finally given up on their fifteen year old Honda Civic and purchased a much newer, “gently” used Volvo wagon. Needless to say, their family – which now also includes a 7 month old – greatly appreciated the new wheels, especially the extra space.
However, their young 3 year old (let’s call her “Maddie”) soon tired of the “new” car and longed for their old Honda. Her mom carefully explained to Maddie how things get old, are more prone to difficulties, and need to be replaced – their logic and rationale for the “new” car. Okay, Maddie seemed satisfied.
Then a few weeks later, Maddie came to her mom insisting that the family needed a new dog! You can well understand that their family dog “Aquila” (age 13 years) has been on the decline as Maddie’s awareness and activity level has been growing by leaps and bounds. So, after having friends with a young lively dog visit , a dog who was able to join her in boundless energy, Maddie had logically concluded that it was time for a doggie change. Maddie was all ready to “trade in” Aquila for a newer dog, just like they’d done with the car!
Needless to say, there was another conversation between Maddie and her mom. This one (so I’ve been told) went along the lines of what it means to be a family and how love/commitment to family – unlike to cars – is unending, even rising above the aches and pains of aging.
As I seem to come to more closely resemble The Velveteen Rabbit with every passing day, I can truly appreciate the lesson that is before Maddie… indeed before our entire culture. In an age when most products are intentionally designed and constructed to have only a limited life-span, when relationships (i.e. marriages, alliances between countries) fail as often as they succeed, and when life itself is so easily snuffed out in a momentary flash of emotion, there is another way of living that must constantly challenge that of our popular culture. We cannot continue to be a “throw away” society. Nor can we continue to consume at our previous rates. Neither we nor our world can sustain it.
As the counsel of Jesus, as well as the wisdom of a concerned mom, expressed it, we cannot simply be concerned for ourselves. We must realize that we are family – the family of humanity. And we must live like the caring family we are challenged to be, maintaining (or perhaps first establishing) a love and commitment for one another that rises above the aches and pains of life.
If a three year old can learn this lesson, why can’t all the rest of us?
Tags: Christian, communion, family, living faithfully, religion, sociology
