Stewardship of Life

Lost in Transaction

By Sharron R. Blezard, September 16, 2010

17th Sunday after Pentecost, Year C
September 19, 2010

Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? Luke 16:10-12

Hey, there, North American consumer! Yes, you…the one standing there with the big box store shopping cart full of stuff. I know, I know, your cart is full of “bargains. ” “The deals were too good to pass up.” I understand the allure of the 75% markdown and the $1 bin. I’ve been there, done that, and used to have the junk to prove it. Alas, our culture promotes “getting a deal” without any consideration for how that “deal” came to be. We embrace the concept of “cheap goods” without really understanding the hidden high costs behind such merchandise.

This Sunday’s texts provide an excellent opportunity for us to explore as people of faith the effect our spending and consuming habits have on others and how successfully we manage the resources with which God has entrusted us. If we are willing to speak truthfully in love, drawing from what the Luke and Amos texts say, both law and gospel will guide us to consider our neighbor and our role in wider community.

I would avoid vilifying the big box store. They are easy targets, considering their shelves are stocked with consumer goods of questionable origin. After all, someone is paying the cost for the bargain price tag. The root of the problem is much closer to home; in fact, as Walt Kelly’s cartoon character Pogo said on Earth Day, 1971, “We have met the enemy, and he [or she] is us.” If we weren’t buying the goods, the big box stores wouldn’t be filling the shelves with merchandise at the expense of the environment and our sisters and brothers across the globe. In fact, our consumer landscape might look entirely different.

How do we respond to the argument that “at least we’re helping them to eat” or “they choose to work in these conditions”? I think we meet such uninformed words head on and name this argument as the rationalization that it is. None of us would want to work for such meager wages, to live hand to mouth each day of our lives with no access to health care, or to live in the conditions that most developing nation laborers endure. We take for granted our clean water, our bountiful food choices trucked in from all over the world, and the panoply of material goods that changes almost daily and exacts a horrible toll on people we may never encounter.

This is not a simple issue, not by a long shot. You see, by devaluing the lives of any of God’s children, we devalue our own lives and even the message of the gospel. Does it both you at all to think that the cool shirt your 10-year-old wears to school was made bya 12-year-old girl who is not able to go to school and who is paid pennies for her work? What makes one child more deserving than another?

There is much good that has come from the globalization of the world as we know it, but one of the distasteful results is this gross devaluation of humanity. We may think we’ve “come a long way baby” but we need to think again. Life is cheap—from the horrors of modern day human trafficking to the degradation of the environment that supports life—and the almighty dollar blinds us to that which is real. One good thing is that we now have the ability to “know our neighbor,” the one struggling to provide a meal for her family, the one forced to leave home and travel great distances to earn the equivalent of a few dollars so that his children can have an education. We are able to put a face on the very people being devalued at the expense of our desire to consume and be entertained. The challenge is to open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to the reality before us. No, we alone did not create this complex mess, but as followers of Christ we are called to acknowledge it, work for justice, and become careful and wise consumers so that we make the mess even a tiny bit better.

As preachers, leaders, and teachers we must look within first. Are there consumption habits that need to be changed? Do we really need another plastic wreath or knickknack? How many pair of shoes, shirts, and dresses does one person truly need? How about that cheap swag we sometimes put in Sunday school bags or use as prizes at church fairs? What if we looked into supporting fairly traded merchandise, maybe even starting with the coffee we serve on Sunday mornings? Do we support our local businesses, or do we choose the convenience and purported “savings” found at the big box retailers?

If we aren’t willing to hold the mirror to our own faces first, then I’d suggest preaching on the epistle or glossing over these texts in some other way. If, however, we feel called to speak the prophetic word, to be a better steward not only our time, talents, and possessions, but also of the people with whom God has entrusted us for ministry, then I urge each one of us to go to the edge this week and trust the Spirit’s guidance. At least open the conversation. If you’re still not convinced, do me a favor: go read and reread these words from Amos and Luke, take a look at the resources below, and prayerfully seek direction. Please don’t let this week’s texts simply be lost in another big box transaction.

Additional Resources:

The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz

The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard

Lutheran World Relief

Not For Sale: Campaign to End Human Trafficking and Slavery

World Fair Trade Organization

Photos by The Shaun Woods, The Consumerist, Casey West, and Reegmo used under a Creative Commons License. Thanks!