Our sermon series on Sunday mornings during Lent is entitled “Abundance.” We talk about God’s abundance, but what is it, and what happens when God’s abundance intersects the tough places of life? This Lent, Jesus walks with us and teaches us about Temptation & Consolation, Protection & Provision, Growth & Destruction, Welcome & Departure, Want & Need.
Ironically, while reading commentary on the abundance of God in preparation for my sermons, I am also reading a book for personal enjoyment entitled “The Minimalist Home.” It has been interesting to ponder a God of abundance, alongside our consumerist society, and the principles of minimalism. How, can, or should these three realms ever intersect?
When we look at God through the lens of Christ’s self-sacrifice, death, and resurrection, we see a God who gives up everything to show us how much God loves us. God has an abundance of love to give, but the way God showed that to us was to give up everything. It seems counterintuitive, but then again, Jesus is always reversing what was expected of the Messiah. What can we learn from Christ’s example of how to live abundantly?
Our consumerist-based society is driven by a very different philosophy, the more you accumulate, the more successful you have become, and/or the happier you will be. Marketers are always trying to point out to us what is missing from our lives, or how we are flawed, and then magically, they have the exact product that will make us whole once again. It is hard to live in this type of society especially when we read the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:19-21: “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being” (The Message Translation).
While not specifically Christian, the principles of minimalism can help us reframe our need to be fulfilled by “stuff” and help us to focus on the abundance of the love of God. Joshua Becker says, “Minimalism isn’t about removing things you love. It’s about removing the things that distract you from the things you love” (The Minimalist Home, p.7).
During this season of Lent, where there is a tradition of “giving things up for Lent,” and with our bi-annual Rummage Sale around the corner, I encourage you to examine your relationship with fulfilling your needs with shopping for things, rather than leaning on Christ for our fulfillment. God provides, to all people, the things we truly need in our lives: love, forgiveness, hope, and life everlasting.
God Bless,
Corey