|
 I was listening to the radio in my car one day recently when on came the earnest voice of a man from a
local auto dealership. His sales pitch concluded, "Come on down and get
the new car you deserve."
"How about that," I thought. "I deserve a new car!"
Like most other advertisements on TV or radio, this one was designed to convince me that the car I deserved would finally bring me happiness.
Our consumer culture's number one job is to convince us of the ability of
material things to bring happiness. This puts the culture squarely at odds with Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, of course, which says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth … but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:19-20).
Recently, I've been reminded how much it is at odds with the wisdom of the Christian tradition as well. Early church teaching was especially pessimistic about the value of material luxury. The fourth-century Egyptian monk St. Antony taught, "Let none among us have even the yearning to possess. For what benefit is there in possessing these things that we do not take with us?"
Yearning for that new car, St. Antony might say, is just looking for happiness in the wrong place. It distracts our attention away from God. And an obsession with material luxury even endangers the welfare of our souls.
St. Antony reasons with us, "Why not rather own those things that
we are able to take away with us – such things as prudence, justice,
temperance, courage, understanding, love, concern for the poor,
faith in Christ, freedom from anger, hospitality? If we possess these,
we shall discover them running before, preparing hospitality for us
there in the land of the meek."
We might imagine John Wesley saying the very same thing.
As Wesleyan people, we should ask ourselves how to train our
hearts away from illusions of happiness and toward those things
that can offer us real joy and peace. Through the concrete practice
of Christian virtue, we can know the prudence, justice, love, and
faith that St. Antony is talking about.
Sure, these things are hard for us to learn on our own. But that is
why God calls us into the church. Together with other Christian
pilgrims, we can engage in those practices that teach us real virtue.
In the Wesleyan tradition, our best model is through relationships
of mutual accountability — like a Covenant Discipleship Group.
Such a practice is decidedly countercultural. It is not like
purchasing that lucky lottery ticket, in the hope of winning a
fortune. It happens instead over time, with sustained dedication,
and a willingness to commit ourselves to the path of Christian
discipleship.
But this, after all, is the path that Jesus invites us to walk. The
good news is that we never walk it alone. We always go with our
brothers and sisters, knowing that Christ is leading us every step of
the way.
••••
Return to Covenant Discipleship Qurterly (Spring 2007) Home Page.
Text Only Version
|
