From today’s Gospel reading, from Mark:
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Got that:
No other commandment than these.
Love the Lord your God…..love your neighbor as yourself
Not even “Thrive!”
Not “Be your best self!”
Not “Flourish!”
Not “Follow your dreams!”
Not “Live your best life!”
I bang on this a lot (sorry), and there are reasons.
First, it’s interesting to me, as a student of popular Christianity from all eras, from medieval mystery plays and relic cults to present-day Instagram influencers.
How is religion interpreted in a culture? How has Christian faith and practice been adapted so that culture effectively amplifies the Gospel and makes it accessible and meaningful? How has it been adapted in ways that suck the life and truth out of it and serve the world instead?
It’s all quite fascinating.
And in this present day, how have privilege, wealth, mobility, literacy, technological capabilities, mass media, an abundance of leisure and an achievement/success-oriented culture impacted how Christianity is preached, received, interpreted and used?
I have a pretty simple test that I use to separate the wheat from the chaff. I’ll use today’s Gospel as an excuse to share it with you:
Consider a faith message you’re hearing, whatever it is purporting to help you discover and live out a central spiritual purpose.
Could this message be credibly shared with these people?
Just follow your passions, guys!
(credit: Carl Olson in the comments.)
God’s purpose is for you to flourish and live your best life, right now!
Yes, there’s a kernel that isn’t worthless and false at the core of all of those catchphrases and movements – that kernel that assures us that we are God’s beloved children, that each person is here on earth because God wanted them to be and created them, intentionally – every single one. And that life lived in communion with God is beautiful and rich, no matter where we are.
But most of the rest of it is a manifestation of us privileged Westerners justifying career goals, personal aspirations, vanity and lifestyle, wearing it like the inspirational t-shirt we picked up on Etsy and comfortably leaning on it like our favorite inspirational pillow.
There’s not a thing wrong with seeking to flourish…thrive…follow your dreams….be your best self. But it’s not the Gospel, and it’s the Gospel of sacrificial love that we’re invited to put at the center of our lives every day, even as every day, we’re also tempted to replace it with something else.
Always be on guard and be willing to look and listen closely. Jesus promises fullness of life – but be cautious when figuring out what this means. Sometimes it means that aspects of your temporal life are going to really and truly feel as if they are in line with that spiritual flourishing, and it’s all coming together. And it may be just that. Or it may be a trap – a trap of narcissism and self-centeredness, a temptation to elevate my will and assume, because things seem to be going great, that of course it must be God’s will as well.
Yes, that’s a form of the Prosperity Gospel. A soft Prosperity Gospel, if you will. I’m not called to follow Christ because of what he’ll do for my life – even though he does everything. I’m called to follow Christ because he calls and he’s Lord.
Period.
Charlotte was Both 