My Christmas w/ Reverend Billy & Doctor Matt: Part 2
May 23, 2008
John Murdock works as an attorney for the federal government, focusing on water and environmental issues. He lives in northern Virginia and is currently helping to facilitate a class on environmental stewardship at The Falls Church (Anglican). John blogs at republicantreehugger.blogspot.com. The personal views expressed here are of course solely his own.
The following originally appeared in Creation Care Magazine. You can find part 1 here.
Ultimately, I survived my extended stay in the mall without buying anything—after seeing WWJB the night before, the guilt of an impulse buy would have simply been too much to bear. Still, the question remained, how does Jesus feel about the over-consumption done in the name of his birthday. Obviously, Jesus bought many things during his time on earth. He once praised an extravagant gift given out of love, even while those around him invoked the plight of the poor. (Mark 14:3-9) So, I wondered, just what would Jesus buy today.
Luckily, Creation Care’s own Green Doctor was on call with an answer. Matthew Sleeth, who is a real physician, offers the following test for Christian purchasing: “Will this bring me closer to God?”
I had previously read articles by and about Dr. Sleeth, but I had not read his book Serve God Save the Planet until it became my holiday travel companion. A pastor friend has asked me to help lead an adult Sunday School class on environmental matters and suggested the text as a guide for discussions. I found it to be a thoughtful challenge to lovingly do more to steward God’s creation. Regarding the particular question raised by Reverend Billy, I was reminded that there are indeed some things into which I should financially invest, and there are other spending temptations that I should let pass by. The true goal is serving God rather than money or possessions. (Luke 16:13)
Any rule can become a legalistic idol if taken to the extreme, and so I do not anticipate asking myself Dr. Matt’s question before every burrito or newspaper I might pick up. Yet, if our aim in life is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, then we Christians must think seriously about this important aspect of our lives. Channeling spending into avenues that actually bring us closer to the Father does indeed sound like something that Jesus would do.
On December 29th I was flipping through Dr. Sleeth’s chapter on Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. About 75 feet in front of me stood an Apple iPod vending machine (yes, I said vending machine) where one could add several hundred dollars to a credit card and avoid plane conversations. To my right, a woman on CNN said, “Americans are addicted to debt,” but a writer from Best Life magazine countered that we must continue our free spending ways for the short term sake of the economy. The Dallas Morning News in my lap told the sad tale of a mother who faked a kids’ essay contest entry, writing that her husband had died in Iraq. The essay won and earned her six year old daughter four highly sought Hannah Montana concert tickets. When confronted with the fact that the soldier’s death was a complete fabrication, the woman defiantly stated, “We wrote whatever we could to win. . . . It never said it had to be true.”
Clearly, our culture has a warped sense of consumption priorities, and unfortunately this is probably expressed most at Christmas. The Green Doctor advocates diverting more of our $750 per capita holiday spending to Kingdom work. Reverend Billy calls for much the same thing, “Spend half as much, and give twice as much.” It sounds like a good place to start.
As I returned to Washington, I was reminded of both the great resources and problems that exist in the United States. The plane circled higher than normal as we approached Reagan National Airport. Looking down from my window seat, I could see the reason why. Crossing surprisingly close below us—near enough to make out Old Glory on the tail—was Air Force One, that great symbol of America‘s wealth, power, and prestige. Shortly thereafter, on our final approach, we flew over a massive black stockpile that fuels a controversial power plant. Like a credit card at Christmastime, those lumps of coal fulfill our current energy needs and unrealistic wants, but the bill will eventually come due. In the meantime the interest is mounting steadily in the form of mercury pollution, leveled mountains, and CO2 emissions.
Thankfully, the mound of coal was not the day’s last memory. A half hour later, as my train emerged from a subway tunnel into the bright light of day, God had another symbol waiting. Though there was no hint of storminess in the sky, the sun shining through the wispy mare’s tail clouds produced a beautiful rainbow. Science calls the phenomena a circumhorizontal arc, but for me it was a beacon of hope: a reminder that the Creator loves his world and is reconciling all things on earth through Christ. (Genesis 9:13; Colossians 1:20) This new year, I have resolved to more fully be a part of what God is doing to make all things new. As Reverend Billy is apt to say, “Can I get a change-a-lujah!”
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