"Modern man is drinking and drugging himself out of awareness, or he spends his time shopping (or admiring and entertaining himself), which is the same thing. As awareness (of our common human condition) calls for types of heroic dedication that his culture no longer provides for him, society continues to help him forget." [Ernest Becker, Escape From Evil, New York: The Free Press, 1975, pp. 81-82].A denial of reality. Is shopping a form of sweeping the dust of problems in our world and our lives under the carpet of daily busyness, of packed schedules? Is the shopping center our modern icon of escapism? It will be an extreme to say 'all the time.' For many who choose to be honest with themselves, they see a familiar activity that reflects that desire to get a temporal respite from the worries of this world, in the shopping center.
For Christians who run away from life into the shopping center for relief, it is a double tragedy when this becomes the spiritual refugee camp. First, it is entering into a black hole where needs are not only not-met, but one can easily get high on drugs that does not satisfy. Second, it is running away from the deepest comfort in Christ, who bids us: "Come ye, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14)
Of rest, of quenching our thirst. Of being loved. Why should we refuse?
Come to the Father who loves. Let us come to Jesus who loves. Let us come in the Spirit who loves. Come Kerygmatically (be preached the good news, the gospel), in perichoretic (relationship of the Triune God) dance of love, to be in God's community.
ks
No comments:
Post a Comment