Lent Day Eight

Psalm 4

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness:
when I was hard-pressed you set me free; be gracious to me now and hear my prayer.

2 Children of earth, how long will you turn my glory to my shame:
how long will you love what is worthless and seek after lies?

The earth groans under the weight of our consumerism.

from Frederica Mathewes-Green:

One element of our culture sets us apart from all previous ones, however, and that is our great prosperity. We simply have access to more consumables, more pleasures, than any previous generation. No king or emperor of centuries past lived as sumptuously as the average suburban family does today … Since pleasures are so easily obtained and more affordable than ever we obtain them as frequently as possible. Thus we come to see ourselves primarily as consumers, rather than as people whose meaning comes from who we are or what we produce. Our prestige is defined by the logos we wear or the car we drive. … we're black holes, never quite satisfied … Yet we can't think of any solution to the malaise except to buy something else.

quoted in Chris Cheah's Advent sermon 2006.
more can be found at Frederica's web site: http://www.frederica.com