Jesus says in Matthew 19:24 that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!! That's quite a statement! It's seems outlandish, it feels like he's making sweeping generalizations and building stereotypes (and does that help anyone?).
We're a week away from Christmas, and in the United States it is a time of polar extremes. At Christmas we seem to see the very best of our wealth. We see people being generous with others. Gifts given, cookies baked, checks written, gifts bought for strangers. It can be beautiful.
We also see the worst of our excess and greed. Exhibit A: Black Friday shopping. There were shots fired or knives drawn in no less than a couple parking lots in our area, and that's not unique to western Michigan. Exhibit B: A total disregard to our true financial situation in the pursuit of more. Christmas (and the gifts that go with it) can be beautiful and it can also be out of control. Increasingly it feels out of control.
As we open up our sixth gift on Christmas morning (four of which we don't really need), do we understand or realize that the majority of our world would be happy with one gift? That over 780 million people lack access to clean water! That around 4 million people are caught in sex trafficking every year (and around 50% are children!!!!)
But beyond our lack of understanding (or truly caring) of the needs of the world, is a preoccupation with ourselves. With our wants, with our desires. Consumerism. Narcissism. We too often are all "about me". I can fall into that trap way more than I want. And it's not just with money and stuff. I can fall into that trap in relationships, or with my time. And it is so counter to how Jesus called us to live.
Which brings me to the REAL point of this post. As much as I can sometimes struggle with a Consumeristic Christmas, what's even worse, and an epidemic, is Consumeristic Christianity. How do we ride camels? How do we, in this wealthy country still embrace and follow Jesus? The Church in America is often "all about me". It's not about what people give, but what they get. It's not about how they can serve, but how the church can serve them. It's not about worshipping God but being seen. It's not feeding themselves spiritually, but how the church is or is not feeding them. And when "my" needs aren't getting met, I just move on to find another church (until that church doesn't meet my needs either).
I know that's not everyone and it's not every church and I certainly have made some generalizations of my own in this post. But, somehow, along the way, we've in large part lost what it means to be "The Church". We've lost what it means to be "ambassadors" of the message of Jesus, we've lost what it means to really love others, to serve and care for the poor, to love God with all of who we are, to put the needs of others first, to live open-handed trusting God as our provider, to care more what God thinks than what others think, to love the community we are a part of by being a family together.
I can't help but think that if we could get back to that originial vision and mission as Jesus-followers, Christmas (and our world) might look a lot better. What can you do this week to reject the "all about me" attitude? How can you follow Jesus this week (of all weeks as we head toward Christmas)?