to return to your place in the text.To read endnotes, click on the the note number, then click on the
Of course, the gospel expects Christians to befriend those
who need help. The Good Samaritan story pops to mind. Juxtapose
that with our ongoing FRIENDSHIP MONTH at St. Paul, the annual
Greensboro CROP Walk this afternoon, the reappearance of World
Food Day on the calendar this Thursday, and a focus on FRIENDS
who happen to be in NEED is a natural. On top of that, the
church's lectionary Gospel lesson, that sad story of the "Rich
Young Ruler" (even though Mark's account does not say either
"young" or "ruler"), holds up a huge red flag about the way we
are often overly-enamored of our possessions. If there are
indeed friends in need, the biggest reason is that their friends
have not jumped in to help, Ted Turner and his recent billion-dollar gift notwithstanding (or you and me, either, sad to say).
By the way, to put Ted's well-publicized largess in
perspective, listen to the following:
I guess that let's us off the hook, eh? None of us are in
the Bill Gates or Ted Turner category. We are not WEALTHY! Not
if we look at those with more than we have. But if we change the
perspective a bit, and look at the countless millions on our
planet whose lifestyle cannot hold a candle to ours, suddenly the
picture changes. Not only do we have more money, but more
leisure, more mobility, more choices, modern health care, and a
life expectancy that is decades longer than citizens of the less
developed world. Yes, Jesus said, "The poor you will always have
with you," and we admit, he was not talking about us.
Last month on Public Television, an intriguing hour opened
as we saw a patient in a doctor's office. She whines, "I feel so
awful, so bloated," and the doctor tells her, "I'm afraid you're
suffering from...TA-DA...AFFLUENZA," (which happens to be the
title of this special).(2) Then we cut to a "real doctor" (which
is exactly how he is identified on-screen), who insists that
Affluenza is a "major disease, no question about it," and he is
followed by a "real psychologist" who informs us, "Many people
suffer from it, but few are aware they are suffering from it."
Americans are spending more, but enjoying it less, and there is a
consensus out there that, as a society, we are too greedy, too
materialistic. Indeed, there is an even greater consensus that
the children we are raising have been taught so well that they
are even worse than us old folks. "Never before has so much
meant so little to so many."
The hour offered some interesting insights. Our Gross
Domestic Product is now twice as large as it was in the 1950's,
yet many Americans report that their quality of life is not as
high as it was in that era. In 1948, 4% of Americans owned
dishwashers, 1% owned color TV's, there were no microwave ovens,
VCR's or personal computers. Today, 50% of us own dishwashers,
97% own color TV's; Microwaves, VCRs and personal computers are
everywhere. We now have more shopping malls than high schools,
and speaking of malls, 70% of America visits one during the
course of a week, more than twice as many of us who attend
churches or synagogues.
In addition to the program itself, the producers made
additional information available on the internet. For example,
their website included a little quiz to test our knowledge of the
problem. Check these out:(3)
Enough already. The picture is pretty clear. There is hope
for us though. The program noted that, of the Americans who have
voluntarily cut back their consumption, 86% say that they are
happier as a result. In 1996, 5% of the "baby boom" generation
reported practicing a strong form of voluntary simplicity. By
the year 2000, some predict the number will rise to 15%.
I doubt that our friend from the gospel lesson would be
inclined that way. His THINGS were too important. Strange,
really. He was apparently a pretty sharp fellow, a first-in-the-class, wildly successful, model citizen type, even sincerely
religious - the kind that Galilean mothers would want their
babies to look up to. But he had a first century version of
AFFLUENZA, and it was such a severe case that, of all the
encounters seekers have with Jesus in Mark's gospel, this is the
only one who responds to the Lord's invitation to "Follow me,"
with a deafeningly silent, "No way; I'm outta here!"
Has it ever struck you that we find ourselves much more
concerned about this man's reaction to Jesus than what Jesus'
instruction to him was? It seems so. Most often we are saddened
at this special fellow's "Affluenza" and the fact that he is
apparently possessed by his possessions rather than the other way
around. But Jesus' instruction was not simply to get rid of the
STUFF that was causing a problem; the instruction was "sell what
you own, and GIVE THE MONEY TO THE POOR..." Once again, we are
confronted with our Christian responsibility to those among us
who are in need.
Folks to this day have a problem with that. The word
continues to come that we resent giving money away to those who
ought to be earning it for themselves. And behind that thought
is another one that suspects that most poor people are poor
because they brought it on themselves; it is their fault. So,
"It's not the money; it's the principle of the thing." Really?
If you remember nothing else from this message, remember this:
anytime anyone tells you, "It's not the money, it's the principle
of the thing," it's the money!
"How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the
kingdom of God...It is easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of
God."
I wish this world worked as simply as seven billionaires
giving everything away and, in the process, wiping out global
poverty. Things are a bit more complicated than that. Still,
there are gross injustices in our system which CAN be fixed
through the generosity of those with the means. That is why we
support Urban Ministry, why we have CROP Walks, why we support
groups like the Society of St. Andrew and get out in the fields
salvaging perfectly good food that would otherwise go to waste.
Last month the National Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People approved the funding of 16 projects
totaling over $700,000. The money comes from the One Great Hour
of Sharing Offering to which you contribute each Easter:
Just to name a few. That is happening because Presbyterians
give. We have no choice. Faithfulness demands it.
You who are old enough no doubt remember that classic Jack
Benny skit that has a robber approaching the tightwad comedian
and demanding at gunpoint, "Your money or your life." After a
frozen pause, the mugger says, "Well?" Benny responds, "I'm
thinking, I'm thinking." We know. We know.
"A friend in need is a friend indeed." We know that too.
Do you want to be that friend? I do. In the name of Jesus, I
do.
Let us pray.
Lord, we admit we have the same problem with "Affluenza"
that the rest of our society has. Help us cure it, please, so
that we might be your faithful friends and friends indeed to
those who need our help. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen!
1. Ministry of Money newsletter, August 1997, quoted by Carlos Wilton, via PresbyNet, "Preaching Stewardship," #1003, 10/1/97 2. A production of KCTS-TV and Oregon Public Broadcasting, John de Graaf, Producer, first broadcast nationally on PBS on 9/15/97 3. http://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza/diag/diag.html 4. Julian Shipp, via PresbyNet, "Self-Development of People Committee Funds Projects Totaling $732,763," PCUSA News, #4473, 10/7/97
As unbelievable as it may sound, the combined wealth of
the world's seven richest people could end world
poverty. A United Nations Human Development Report
recently published (and reported in the June 22, 1997
issue of Manchester Guardian Weekly) notes that an $80
billion anti-poverty program could provide access to
basic social services and eradicate poverty. This, the
UN report estimates, is equivalent to the net worth of
just seven billionaires. The net worth of 10
billionaires, according to the report, is worth 1.5
times the combined national income of the 48 least
developed countries.(1)
Answer: d. Many of today's three-car garages occupy 900
square feet, just about the average size of an entire home
in the 1950's. Many people use the extra garage space to
store things they own and seldom use. Often we hear that
Americans have lost ground economically and have less
purchasing power. But Americans are buying more luxurious
items, partly by working more and going deeply into debt.
The homes they live in and the cars they drive today are
often bigger and more technologically advanced than those
purchased by their parents.
Answer: a. The number of "very happy" people peaked in 1957,
and has remained fairly stable or declined ever since. Even
though we consume twice as much as we did in the 1950's,
people were just as happy when they had less.
Answer: c. In contrast, Americans on average spend only 40
minutes a week playing with their children, and working
couples talk with one another on average only 12 minutes a
day.
Answer: False. Americans carry $1 trillion in personal debt,
approximately $4,000 for every man, woman and child, not
including real estate and mortgages. On average, Americans
save only 4 percent of their income, in contrast to the
Japanese, who save an average of 16 percent.
Answer: b. In 1996, more than 1 million Americans declared
bankruptcy, three times as many as in 1986. Americans have
more than 1 billion credit cards, and less than one-third of
credit card holders pay off their balances each month.
Answer: d. The income disparity between the rich and the
poor is greatest in the United States.
Answer: c. Nearly 50 percent. The world's 358 billionaires'
combined assets roughly equal the assets of the world's
poorest 2.5 billion people.
Answer: All of the above. Since 1950, Americans alone have
used more resources than everyone who ever lived before
them. Each American individual uses up 20 tons of basic raw
materials annually. Americans throw away 7-million cars a
year, 2-million plastic bottles an hour, and enough aluminum
cans annually to make six thousand DC-10 airplanes.
Answer: a. and b. Even though Americans comprise only five
percent of the world's population, in 1996 we used nearly a
third of its resources and produced almost half of its
hazardous waste. The average North American consumes five
times as much as an average Mexican, 10 times as much as an
average Chinese and 30 times as much as the average person
in India.
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