CONSUMER OR CONSUMED?

The phrase ‘We live in a consumer led society’ is well known by most of us and on reflection it is possibly more apparent at this time of year.

Thoughts of what will Santa/Father Christmas bring consume many of our children and dare I say it even some adults…

The consumer society which we live in creates the belief that increasing our consumption of ‘things’ is desirable and through these desires, we can achieve emotional and physical wellbeing. The more we have the happier we are – right?

Wrong….

When the birth of the Son of God was being announced it tells us in Matthew 2 v 3 that King Herod was “disturbed and all of Jerusalem with him.” The foretelling of a new king being born left him worried that he could lose all that he had. He was consumed with what he had and thoughts of himself.

Do you ever feel like that? I know I do.

There is another story in the chapter about the Magi or as we might know them, Three Kings. They had seen a star rise in the East and decided to follow it. They asked Herod

“Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

They travelled many miles to find and worship Jesus, you could say that they had become consumed with finding him – no thoughts for themselves – being away from home, the cost of the trip, the inconvenience. That sounds like an expensive trip to me! They became consumed by following the star to worship the future King. When they arrived to see Jesus as a child having travelled many miles they were overcame and “bowed down and worshipped him.” Matthew 2 v 11. Grown men became overwhelmed when faced with a child who was the Son of God.

Would you like to be like that? I know I would.

In truth most of us are probably most like Joseph – who was engaged to marry Mary (the woman chosen to carry and give birth to Jesus). She was pregnant before they were married which in those days was just not acceptable.

It says in Matthew 1 v 18

“Because Joseph…was faithful to the law, and yet he did not want to expose her to public disgrace he planned to divorce her quietly.”

He was probably (and understandably) concerned about how things were going to look, what people were going to say – and that this would follow him for the rest of his life.

However, God spoke to him through a dream

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”

He was able to look beyond himself to bring up a child that was not his as his son.

We can see ourselves in this story – often we start off as a consumer – all about us – what we need, what we want. Then God steps in. He shows us a different way. He shows us what it is to be consumed by a life devoted to Jesus for the benefit of others.

Don’t be a Herod – poisoning all those around you (all of Jerusalem was affected) with an obsession with self, be like Joseph and the Magi putting self aside to lead a life consumed with Jesus.

by Pamela Wharton Dec 27th 2022