September 20: Personal God

When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" …When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, "Friends, why are you doing this? We are mortals just like you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them… " Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them. (Acts 14:11-18)

Commodities abound in our world and economics makes the world turn.

We are each in the business of buying and selling commodities – and even more important our culture is in the business of turning people and ideas into commodities to be sold. There is probably no place that it is easier to see this than with entertainment and sports stars.

We aren’t really interested in the person of Michael Jordan… we just want to wear his shoes. We do not care about the hopes and dreams of LeBron James, we just want to drink Sprite just like he does… because maybe if we do we can have as many “commodities” as he does. Our fashion designers are selling a lifestyle as much as individual clothing, and movies and television shows turn people into “types” that we want to emulate.

I do not think I have to convince you that the American dream has become a way of turning people and ideas into commodities to be bought and sold… if I do – I’ll have to do it in another space. Because what I want to get at, and what I think we are invited to question from our text today… is that we struggle not to do this same thing to the each other, to the church, and even to God.

Go back to the text for me for a minute… what is it that the crowds want to do to Paul and Barnabas?

They want to claim that Paul and Barnabas are “the gods” in human form.
They are ready to name Paul the Greek god Hermes, and Barnabas is Zeus. Even the priest of Zeus is ready to play the game. Before we get to the reaction of Paul and Barnabas let us spend a bit more time with the crowds.

Why name Paul and Barnabas as Hermes and Zeus? Well I have already tipped my hand. I think it’s about making them into commodities. It isn’t really a way to compliment Paul and Barnabas… it’s a way to profit from them.

Let me back up… when Nike created the “Air Jordan” brand it wasn’t to laud Michael Jordan. And the fact that he profited from it is only secondary… the point to it all was to allow a group of others to profit from him. Nike profits from his name, the wearer of the shoe profits from feeling like they can “be like Mike”, and shareholders profit from everyone wanting that commodity to the tune of a hundred dollars for each pair of shoes.

So how do we profit from turning Paul and Barnabas into Greek commodities (aka gods)? We tame them. We control them. We make them at our beck and call – answering our needs. I don’t know what do with a radical, political and theological revolutionary prophet walking around in the name of the alleged son of the alleged Jewish God. But I do know what to do with Hermes. He has a known character and mission… he is, after all, our creation. And so we name Paul as Hermes and then he’s no mystery after all. He won’t meddle in our lives – in fact we will meddle with his as we redefine his message through the lens of “Hermes” to fit our lives… for our profit. We put their healing power to use for our own gain.

Thus is it that Paul and Barnabas have to rend their clothing and lament to the commodifying crowds… “Friends, why are you doing this? We are mortals just like you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things (commodities… gods…) to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them… "

Do we make church to fit our lives? Do we make God to fit our lives? Do we find voices and put them into categories that are easier to deal with? Do we figure out how people and ideas will profit us… either monetarily or in some other tangible (emphasis on tangible… we don’t want elusive rewards after all) way? Do we make people and ideas into commodities in our life?

You bet. Only God won’t let us. God won’t hang with such settled answers, and such easy boxes. And God’s disciples following in the way of Christ won’t either… even though the temptation is large and the struggle to resist doing so is nearly impossible to navigate. We are to rend our clothes and remember/witness that we are just mortals… the church is just a mortal institution… but the message we carry is so much more. The God we point to in the way we live our lives is so much more – God is everything.

When we meet someone we do not ask: what does this profit me? We engage in mutual sharing and learning and growing. This is the way of Jesus Christ.

How have you sought to turn others into commodities in your life?

Are there ways you have tried to do the same with God and/or the church – engage the community to find personal profit?

How are you living your life to help others turn from worthless things to the living God?

Personal God, you came this world that we might know you face to face in a living relationship. Help us to care enough about one another to do for each other as you have done for us. Amen.