ACTS
6:1-9,7:2a,51-60
PSALM 23
1 PETER 2:19-25
JOHN 10:1-10
Sermon – 4/21/02
“The Abundant Life” vs “The Good Life”
In
the course of a year, most Americans are exposed to thousands upon thousands of
ads. Oh, we may hang up on
telemarketers, go to the bathroom when the ads come on the TV, and turn down
the radio during commercials, but those ads – plus those on billboards, in
newspapers, magazines, direct mail, on the internet, on vehicles, in ballparks
in stores we’re already in, and just about everywhere except under our
eyelid when we sleep – hopefully – make cumulatively a huge impression on us.
While
they vary as to the product or service they promote, there is a “theme” or an
ideology tying most of them together: that we, the consumers, do not really
have “The Good Life” unless we buy this product.
Ah,
“The Good Life.” It is an American
ideology, now exported worldwide, that everyone should have the opportunity
to – be exposed to ads telling them that they currently are not nearly
rich enough, smart enough, young enough, healthy enough, in debt enough or
popular enough now, but that they could be by buying the
advertised products.
“The
Good Life” as an American ideology started as the notion that people could
aspire to work decent jobs in humane conditions for reasonable hours and
receive sufficient pay to own or rent a decent home and eat well without being
one paycheck away from foreclosure or eviction. To those whose ancestors were serfs or slaves at one time it may
have seemed an incredible fantasy, but for millions of Americans that
hope for “The Good Life” has come true.
Somehow,
however, the definition has changed – grown extravagantly and continually, so
that even when the great majority of Americans are experiencing material
abundance far beyond that of all but a handful of people even knew 50
years ago, the definition of “The
Good Life” has changed so that many people feel it is still out of reach,
constantly receding even as they run faster towards it.
I
asked those who were on April 13th’s Women’s Retreat to define “The
Good Life”. This is what they came up
with: “lots of money, luxuries (not just necessities), big houses (plural),
expensive cars, luxury vacations, jet-setting (with peers), health, ‘youth’
(real or imagined) and recognition”.
They added that “The Good Life” constantly had “an even higher
definition”, was (and would always be) “available (only) to a small minority of
the world’s population, and included never being satisfied – always “seeking
‘bigger highs.’”
“The
Good Life” has, in fact, become an addiction, and like many addictions, the
amounts that used to suffice to produce a “high” no longer do. Remember when $100,000 a year seemed like a
lot of money? I know, for lots of
people it still does sound that way, but an astonishing number of people think
it isn’t a lot of money. The
last time a Major League baseball player won the batting “Triple Crown” –
leading the league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in – he was
rewarded with a salary the next year, 1968, of - $100,000. It sounds silly now;
the major league minimum is more than twice that, and real stars make $5
million, $10 million or more per year.
On
a more prosaic level, the amounts “Money” magazine’s subscribers say would be
“enough” to live “The Good Life” have also increased at least 10 times
as fast as inflation. But the point is,
for addicts, there is no such thing as
“enough.” To use a football
analogy, when you think you’re about to “score”, definers of “The Good Life”
move the goal posts 50 yards further.
Tragically,
many Americans are showing signs of addiction to “the pursuit of ‘The Good
Life.’”
Those
at the women’s retreat were asked to imagine that worshiping “The Good Life”
was a prescription medicine (prescribed by Dr. Materialism), and to imagine
what the “side effects” of this “prescription” would be, as listed on that
helpful printout from the pharmacy. The
“side effects” the group come up with were: “ill health, stress, constant
worry, greed, selfishness, loneliness, frustration, indifference, unhappiness,
laziness, emptiness, loss of compassion, boredom, anxiety, disconnection from
God, egotism, destruction of the environment and of people, corruption, lack of
trust, self-indulgence, lack of identity (apart from possessions), negative
impact on relationships, and negative impact on family.”
On
“Precautions” to put on the “warning label” for “worshiping ‘The Good Life’”
they wrote, “Can be habit-forming or addictive, may cause ‘tunnel vision’,
happiness cannot be bought, may cause death (spiritual, perhaps physical),
inability to readjust”, and “see side effects”.
Would
you take a prescription with a listing of “precautions” and “side
effects” like that?
If
a doctor gave me a prescription with those precautions and side effects,
I’d go looking for a new doctor!
America,
and the world, needs “a new doctor.”
“Dr. Materialism” has too many of us hooked, looking for bigger and
bigger “highs”, and the well-being of the world – as well as the well-being of those who think they are “winners” in this contest – is at stake.
Thankfully,
all of us, and all of the world, has another doctor available, one with a very
different prescription for us. He is,
indeed, The Great Physician, and he made a house call. During his house call,
he told us “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
The Abundant Life is very different
from the so-called “Good Life” which we’ve been talking about. The Abundant Life is a gift from God,
not something that we have to (or can) earn by working endless overtime. It is a gift from the One who has literally
limitless resources. Abundance is
itself abundant: someone receiving abundant life does not mean
there is less for everyone else to share, and the definition of The Abundant
Life is not subject to constant inflation.
These
are the characteristics as described by those on the retreat of The Abundant Life
(limited by our human limitations in comprehending absolute goodness): LOVE,
mutual love among people and
between God and humans. Peace of
mind/serenity, protection, inner joy, no worries, community, laughter with
people (not at people), security (God’s love cannot ever be taken away),
gratitude, environmentally friendly, abundance from The Creator, cherishing
relationships, delight in non-competitive experiences, all ages and all
people can attain it, harmony, balance in life, well-being/health.”
The
retreatants diligently wrote down the “side effects” of this
prescription as follows: “everlasting joy, freedom, complete submission (to
God), happiness, contentment, peace, needs satisfied, no envy, and a deeper connection with God.”
Which doctor do you want?
Got
any of that old prescription left from Dr. Materialism? Time to flush it down the toilet!
But
one side effect not named about worshiping the “Good Life” is that ceasing
taking that “prescription” may cause withdrawal symptoms. Like other addictions, addiction to
materialism must be ended, but the patients need special care while
switching from the old life to the new life, one day at a time.
This
is one of the reasons churches exist.
We
are a support group for those seeking The Abundant Life offered by Christ. As such, we need to be focused on Christ and
on The Abundant Life – in a serene, non-competitive way! We need always to re-examine our lives as
individuals, as households, and as a church community to see how we can better
practice what we preach and not respond to “the siren song” of materialism and
addiction to seeking the ever-elusive “Good Life” in those thousands of ads –
and the assumptions of so many people about priorities. And we need to relax, reflect and rejoice.
Jesus
is the Great Physician. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the one who offers us The
Abundant Life – and will still offer it tomorrow. Let us relax, reflect and rejoice in the gifts which God
offers us which are worth so much more than anything we could ever
buy – even
if we had won last week’s
“Big Game” drawing! Let us “let go and
let God”, renounce addiction to materialism, and receive The Abundant Life
which he has prepared for us – and for all who open their hands to receive it. Alleluia, alleluia!
(The Rev.) Francis A. Hubbard
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church