it isn't what you have...

What can it possibly mean to live simply and generously in the 21^st Century? One holiday a year instead of two? Not owning the latest mobile phone? Having a monthly standing order to a couple of charities?  Our definition will no doubt depend on how we think our lifestyle compares to that of our friends, colleagues and neighbours. The result? We’re probably a bit unsure how to live a life that finds true fulfilment in Christ in today’s world.

Sometimes I suspect as Christians we don’t like to hear the harder messages Jesus spoke. We like to focus on the Jesus who is our friend, who carries our burdens. This is right and good. But what about the Jesus who called us to deny ourselves to follow him (Luke 9:23)? The Jesus who tells us to seek first God’s Kingdom and that stuff like food and clothing will follow (Matthew 6:33)? Why did he say all this – was it just to make life miserable for his followers?

It doesn’t take much scientific research to realise there are many people with a lot of possessions, who just aren’t happy. Just as today possessions don’t automatically equal happiness, I suspect they didn’t in the 1^st Century either. Jesus knew full well the hold possessions can have over our lives. The recent London riots, while surely caused by multiple factors, do perhaps point to the dangers of greed and consumerism in our society. Jesus didn’t though say that money and possessions are inherently wrong, but rather that our use of them needs to be directed to putting God and his purposes first, and that actually in this we will find fulfilment. Jesus relied on the support of wealthy women for his ministry (Luke 8:3), Paul relied on Lydia’s hospitality (Acts 16:15) and Jesus knew how to enjoy life  - think of the wedding at Cana and what a great example of a celebratory feast that is.

What if though our culture has become so tied to money and possessions that we no longer realise the hold they have on us? Maybe we’ve become so used to having things instantly, of quick fix consumerism, that we’ve forgotten the value of a feast and saving things for a special occasion. And perhaps, we’re the ones who are really missing out. There are lots of ways we can begin to reassess how we use what we’ve been given, to find a way that’s more fulfilling than mere possessions. Mission Year might just be one of these. It’s an opportunity to live together with others, serving and supporting a local church in a deprived area of London in its work in a local community, working alongside ministries such as CAP, Foodbank and XLP. It’s an opportunity to pool resources, to consider how money and possessions could be used to enable others to serve. Teams are realising just how they can more effectively use what they have for God’s purposes. What’s more, it’s turning out not to be about dogmatic asceticism, taking all the fun out of life, but rather people are discovering just what Jesus meant when he said when he came to give us life in all its fullness: life that finds its identity and satisfaction first and foremost in him and loving those around, not in what we own.

Susannah Clark, Mission Year Project Manager

TAKE ACTION:

- Take some time to consider where your money goes each month, and think about whether there are small changes you could make to enable you to give more away.

- Check out the Evangelical Alliance’s Simplify Campaign tips for ways you can begin to make a difference to your lifestyle http://www.eauk.org/simplify/tips.cfm

- Get connected to the Breathe Network and share with like minded people looking to live more simply and generously http://breathenetwork.org/

- Check out the Mission Year website and consider signing up to join a team for a year of serving, training and living in community: www.missionyear.org.uk

- Pray for the young people caught up in the riots, that they might come to find worth, status and value not in rioting and consumer goods, but in Jesus.