Sermon: On having life abundantly (May 11, 2014)

Easter 4C

May 11, 2014

John 10:1-10

            I came across a story this week about a man who came to Christ later in his life, as an adult. A successful businessman, he found the flashiest and what seemed to be the most successful church in town. He felt right at home there in his designer suits, as he parked his Mercedes alongside the others in the parking lot, and felt this was the perfect community to encourage him in his walk with Jesus.

After a few months, however, he had an economic crisis, and lost much of what he had. Now in a more modest car and the same clothes week after week, he noticed he stood out from the other members of this church. It wasn’t long before two church elders approached him and asked if they could meet with him at home. When they arrived at his modest, mostly empty home, they asked that he please find a new church. They explained that his circumstances “no longer witnessed to the abundant life” that members of that church were called to live.

            I hope this story made you cringe as much as it did me! It is discouraging and disheartening on so many levels – socially, biblically, theologically, and more. What is most infuriating about it for me is that even as I exclaim to myself, “That’s not what abundant life means!” I recognize that for many, that is exactly what it means. Abundance means making lots of money and having lots of stuff. There is a whole segment of Christianity that follows this mindset, known as the “prosperity gospel.” If you love and serve Jesus, Jesus will reward you with material riches, good health, and many influential friends.

            Of course, that fits right into our cultural mindset. A study of advertising reveals this right away.

Since the 1990s there has been a trend in advertising called “emotional branding.” The purpose is to show you that there is some lack in your life, something you are seeking, and this product, whatever it is, can fill that void for you. Suddenly owning a particular product isn’t so much about how well it functions or your genuine need for it as it is about feeling a part of something, and about what owning that product represents for you. In other words, owning that thing, whatever it is, makes us feel better about ourselves, makes us feel richer, gives us the illusion of abundance.

            But having lots of stuff, or even the right stuff, or even stuff that genuinely makes us feel happy for whatever reason… that’s not really abundance, is it? At least not in the way that Jesus means in today’s Gospel lesson when he says, “I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.” So if owning the latest iPad or the coolest car or the smartest phone or whatever it is for you is not abundant life, then what is? How would you define abundant life?

            I’m serious. Take some time to really think about that. Consider what choices you have made in life, what strategies you have employed, and what you have relied upon, to bring you to what you perceive is an authentic, abundant life. And then ask yourself: am I satisfied with that? Do I really feel that I live a life of abundance, does my cup runneth over – or do I still feel myself wanting?

            The reason I ask you to think about that is that I think often, we don’t really know what abundant life looks like, and so we don’t know what to look for. So let’s deal with that first, and just try to define what Jesus might mean by “abundant life.” Looking at our other texts today, it seems that abundance has less to do with stuff and more to do with relationships. Just look at the description in Acts of those first Christian communities. They centered around sharing their stuff, and spending time together, and breaking bread together – which could be a reference to worship and the forgiveness we receive when we gather around Christ’s table, but likely also means sharing meals outside of worship.

They did all this with glad and generous hearts. These early Christian communities were characterized by gratitude, generosity, and gladness – certainly all keys to recognizing and embracing abundance! Appreciate what you have, and be eager to share it with others.

            Psalm 23 offers another perspective on what abundance looks like. It, too, is about relationship, but where Acts is about relationship with one another, Psalm 23 expounds upon our relationship with God. God is with us in the dark valleys and by the still waters and all along the path. Because of our relationship with God, and God’s relationship with us, the Psalmist tells us, and because God leads us and cares for us like a shepherd, we shall not have want. Or said another way, because God is with us, we experience abundance instead of want.

            So that is a good start for understanding what abundant life could look like for us: it is relationship with God and with one another. What, then, still keeps us from it?

            Here’s a thought: are we afraid of abundance? Think about it – whenever we feel a sense of joy or contentment, we are extremely vulnerable. Think about looking down at your sleeping child, and the overwhelming joy you feel… and in the next breath you recognize all that could go wrong, all that could rip this child’s life out of your hands. And it’s terrifying. Joy can be like that – because when we relax just a little bit, something or someone could come and snatch that joy away. If we don’t protect and guard it, our abundance could be gone. And so we don’t do as the early Christians in Acts do, sharing it with one another – because what if we run out? We don’t give thanks – because what if while we’re busy giving thanks, something happens to make it disappear?

            Embracing the abundance God has provided, you see, does require a certain level of vulnerability. Loving other people, and allowing ourselves to be loved by them, requires us to let down our guard. That’s a scary thing to do, because it is so easy to get hurt when your guard is down. Is it really worth it to risk your heart and your feelings with the carelessness of others for the possibility of abundant life? It is worth trusting God when there have been so many times in life when it didn’t really seem like God was with us in those dark valleys? What if we let down our guard and look for abundant life, and we don’t find it? It’s no wonder we are always looking for more things to fill the potential, the possibility of a void.

            But the promise of the gospel is that with God, there is never a void. Jesus says, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Jesus already came – to show us how serious God is about wanting to be with us. Jesus already died and rose – to show us that even death cannot have the final word, even death cannot take God away from us. Jesus already promises to be the gate – the doorway into relationship with one another and relationship with God, and to be the good shepherd – protecting us and showing us the way. He came that we might have life and have it abundantly.

            Let us pray… God, our shepherd and our gate: believing in the promise of abundant life is sometimes very hard and scary for us. Give us faith in you as our shepherd, leading us ever into relationship with each other and with you. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.