From Ecstasy to Empty

Post written by Aaron Bouwens.

I must confess once again I ate way too much over the past few days. The turkey, rolls, stuffing all the fixings. Over the few days I managed to provide tangible evidence of the abundance in which we live here in the Western world. In the midst of the indulgence I was inspired by watching people sit together at the table. The power of the steaming turkey with all the trimmings seemed to be mystical. At our church we had a Thanksgiving dinner free to the public and people came together from all walks and stations of life. Most of the time the only thing they had in common was the meal spread before them. All I could think was behold the power of turkey.

My experience is not unique. Other places had dinners, and in homes all across this nation the ecstasy was repeated. It is almost cliche to say it, but the true beauty of Thanksgiving is the coming together of people. In that moment the height of community can be found. Many a meal takes place amidst squabbling and bickering, but Thanksgiving seems to provide a reprieve. The sense of togetherness can be quite moving when we allow it to be. In many ways Thanksgiving day can be our American society at its best. People coming together at table fellowship. Not just those eating, I was humbled how many people from our community wanted to come and simply serve. We have service opportunities all the time, this was the first time we had people calling to volunteer a few hours around their family celebrations. What a great picture of humanity.

Then Friday morning comes. We go from the ecstasy of Thanksgiving day, to the empty consumerism of Black Friday. Oh, I know people would not see it as an empty day as they load in their new plasma TV bought at a steal of a deal. Christmas shopping lists are crossed off, and a few extra things just for “me” are purchased. There are few days in the calendar which are a greater ovation to consumerism than Black Friday. I am struck by how quickly we can go from humanity at its best, most generous, to humanity at its greediest and worst in the course of 12 hours. Sure many were buying gifts for other people, so how could that be greed? The level at which we in America consume, for others or ourselves is staggering. When looking around the average house in America, there is more stuff there than any one person or family really needs.

So am I saying we should feel guilty about shopping, or that we should not buy anything for anyone? Nope. What I am am saying is think about what you are doing. What would happen if instead of spending the average 700-800 dollars on Christmas presents, you spent 200-300, and gave the rest to charities helping to feed hungry people? What if that old TV that still worked was sufficient and the new one was left on the store shelf? Might we have a culture that did not move from ecstasy to empty so quickly? Is it possible for us to move from ecstasy to elation? There is no greater joy than sacrificing for the sake of giving someone life. Gandhi said it this way “live simply so others might simply live.”. I cannot help wonder if our lives would be forever transformed is we chose to sacrifice rather than consume. Could we possibly realize the greatest gift we have to offer is community? What if the everyday dinner was like the Thanksgiving dinner. Not the volume of food, but the volume of community and connection. We could serve bread and water as long as the fellowship was rich and authentic. Would we spend so much time empty?

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