I love the convergence of the Word and the world. That’s what it’s about isn’t it? And that’s our calling. . . to know how the Word speaks to the world. It’s the prophetic task of following Christ as we contrast the “you have heard it said that. . .” with the “but I tell you. . .”
I experienced one such convergence this morning. . . and it was personally challenging. . . as I read and pondered John 6:25 and following. Jesus prophetically confronts a crowd that followed him to the other side of the lake in search of stuff. They were looking for food that spoils. As the Bread of Life, He is the food that “endures to eternal life.” Stupid people. From where I sit, I get it. It’s obvious. Or maybe not.
How often am I looking to God for the wrong thing? How often do I unconsciously live like I equate God’s Shalom with material blessing? How often do I fall into the trap of trying to fill the God-shaped hole with stuff? When will I know I have enough?
In the days leading up to the NFL draft, the unprecedented media circus that we’ve made it was promoted through a series of flashy commercials featuring certain draft picks. Underneath the visuals lay a bed of music that caught my ear everytime I heard it. It was Kevin Rudolf’s “I Made It (Cash Money Heroes).” According to Rudolf – and about 99.9 percent of all the other definitions of “success” thrown at us in our daily comings and goings – “success” is measured by stuff. Stuff like money, fame, fortune, celebrity, etc. In Rudolf’s catchy little song its stuff like “private jets,” “money fallin from the sky,” “Louie bag,” a “luxury marble floor,” and “a Bentley.” Accumulate that stuff and then you can truly say “the world is mine.” Sadly, even the redeemed buy into this garbage and we live our lives as seekers and followers of the aforementioned stuff rather than Christ, along with faithfulness and obedience to Him.
After watching Rudolf’s video I went back and read through what I had written about teens and materialism in the chapter “Living in a Material World” in Youth Culture 101. I read these words: “We must teach our kids that the real measure of their success in life is how much they’d be worth if they had absolutely nothing.”
I wonder if some of you would be willing to devote a little time to finding out what your kids are 1)thinking, and 2) living? How about this. . . . show them Rudolf’s video. Then, ask them two simple questions: 1) What do you think about that? . . . and 2) Do you think you ever live like that? You’ll arrange the convergence of Word and world. You’ll force the collision be all need between belief and behavior.
Then, let me know where it goes from there.
We are currently doing a series called IDOLS here in our middle school and high school group. I am going to use this video this Sunday and I will return with what they think. The first week we talked about cell phones and the need of things that we think we NEED. This is a perfect video! Thank you!