Consumerism 101

It's new!!

It’s no secret that American society is consumer based. I mean, our economy is based on people buying things, things they do and don’t need, to maintain a standard of comfort. We need, we want, we buy. The new iPhone 4s came out recently (s stands for... super?)  and I was shocked by how many people wanted it... but weren't able to tell me how it was different from the old one. Nike makes horrible shoes yet somehow I still buy them because the "swoosh" makes me feel more athletic (do I really have three pairs?)...

This week a pretty huge shocker was dropped from the leadership at church. Sparing the details, lets just say things are changing and people are parting ways. The natural tendency, at least for me, is to get frustrated and start worrying if the church will still be able to meet my spiritual needs. As the elders look for new leadership a couple questions have echoed in the back of my mind:

• Will I still get to hear the expository preaching that I’ve grown accustomed to?
• How long will this transition last?
• What do I do in the meantime?
• What is the reason for the change?
• Why is it happening now? 

Those are just a few of the questions I’ve been wrestling with. I spent Wednesday night in a pretty sleepless tantrum as I battled worries and fears about the next few months.

Then, I had this brilliant epiphany. All of those questions float and revolve around a certain personal pronoun and his close cousin: “I/Me”. I guess the real question is, does my church only exist to meet my needs? Or, in other words, is it just another thing that I consume?

In order to find an answer, I believe it’s always best to look in the Bible and the life of Jesus. Unfortunately and fortunately, not a whole lot of looking is required on this one. The Bible specifically says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve others”. If we, as Christians, are to emulate his image we have to adopt his mindset as well.

So how does that change the way we interact with our Church? How does it change the way we view our job? Our friendships? Our God? None of those things were created or exist to serve us. They exist to demonstrate the sovereignty of God.

I guess the perfect example can be found in a friend of mine. Last week was his birthday, the perfect time to “get stuff”. Instead, he called all his friends together and they went out and ate with the homeless of Philadelphia. To quote a song from the ancient days J, you can’t always get… I’ll end the quote there.

Christ's church was created to serve Him. The Church isn't another part of this world that we should consume. We should serve it.