Death by Consumption

"It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Matt 4:4 NRSV)

This week, Apple released its iPad 2. I have to admit that I’m really intrigued by the device, but I just can’t seem to justify forking over the cash for one. Beyond being really cool, I’m not sure about the kind of merit it would have for me. With that being said, there are plenty of people lining up to get theirs; as they seem to do with every new gadget Steve Jobs parades in front of his adoring fans.

The frenzy surrounding the iPad is a great example of what has happened with our economy. It is said that we have moved into consumer capitalism. Consumer capitalism is still based on the laws of supply and demand, but there is waning regard for the actual merits or value of the product itself. This shift in the way our economy operates began early in the 20th century. In the 1920’s, a guy by the name of Edward Bernays put together a campaign for Lucky Strikes cigarettes. The essence of the campaign built upon the woman’s suffrage movement by convincing women that smoking was another way to declare their equality with men. This successful tactic has led us to a point where an individual is exposed to an average of 2,000 advertisements per day, many of which tap into a perceived need or spiritual void. For those familiar with the 3rd chapter of the book of Genesis, this sounds an awful lot like the serpent whispering in the woman’s ear: "You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." We have fallen prey, and the consumption is slowly killing us.

There are not many areas of our lives that have not been impacted by this culture of consumption. For some time now, prophetic voices have been decrying the way in which the church has reduced itself to a producer of religious goods and services that are being packaged in slick fashion in order to appeal to the “church shopper.” Religious faith, like groceries, new tires, and the iPad, is now something to be consumed. If we don’t get what we want, we simply move on to someplace else that will give it to us. As a result, we have become spiritually and missionally flabby. The call to discipleship, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer pointed out, should cost us something…our life.

At the heart of our life together in Christian community is worship centered on Word and sacrament. In the reading of scripture, the baptismal bath, proclamation and song, and the sharing of the Lord’s Supper, God shows up to feed us and forgive us. But these actions are not an end in and of themselves. These actions are intended to strengthen us for life in the world. There is an old adage that we eat to live, not live to eat. That adage is helpful when thinking about worship and its connection to daily living.

The season of Lent with its spiritual disciplines of almsgiving, fasting, prayer, and service is an extremely counter-cultural observance. These disciplines turn us outward rather than inward, and invite us into a vibrant way of living. They help us to ignore the siren calls of a consumer culture and to hear God’s baptismal declaration that we are beloved children with a higher calling to do stuff that really matters. Until we can engage in a little emotional, spiritual, and, yes, physical jettisoning, we’ll miss out on the life to which Jesus invites us.