Christmas is over and a new year is upon us. I was reflecting more on the movie Avatar today. in the movie Jake Sully, a former marine, has to infiltrate the Na'vi people on the moon Pandora and get to know them in an effort to try to get them to move out peaceably so that the Americans can excavate their land for a precious material worth big bucks. In essence he needs to find out what they want so that they can negotiate a peaceful move away from their land vs. a military strike that forces them out. In one of his video journals he makes a comment to the effect of "What do we have to offer them that they want? Our light beer and blue jeans?" (don't quote me on that word for word, but that was the essence). They seem completely content with their connections with each other, their deity, and their land. I laughed out loud when he said this. I couldn't help but think of Philippians 3:7,8, " But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ" (TNIV). The word "garbage" is actually a pretty tame version for the original Greek. I'll let you use your imagination, but I couldn't help but reflect on the "things" that we value, think are important, or chase after in life. Paul says that he considers these things nothing in comparison of knowing Christ. One of my prayers for the new year is that we would really believe and live as though this were true. That we would pursue our relationship with Christ, and our relationships with others. And that everything else would look as valuable as light beer and blue jeans compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.
1.01.2010
Light Beer and Blue Jeans
Christmas is over and a new year is upon us. I was reflecting more on the movie Avatar today. in the movie Jake Sully, a former marine, has to infiltrate the Na'vi people on the moon Pandora and get to know them in an effort to try to get them to move out peaceably so that the Americans can excavate their land for a precious material worth big bucks. In essence he needs to find out what they want so that they can negotiate a peaceful move away from their land vs. a military strike that forces them out. In one of his video journals he makes a comment to the effect of "What do we have to offer them that they want? Our light beer and blue jeans?" (don't quote me on that word for word, but that was the essence). They seem completely content with their connections with each other, their deity, and their land. I laughed out loud when he said this. I couldn't help but think of Philippians 3:7,8, " But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ" (TNIV). The word "garbage" is actually a pretty tame version for the original Greek. I'll let you use your imagination, but I couldn't help but reflect on the "things" that we value, think are important, or chase after in life. Paul says that he considers these things nothing in comparison of knowing Christ. One of my prayers for the new year is that we would really believe and live as though this were true. That we would pursue our relationship with Christ, and our relationships with others. And that everything else would look as valuable as light beer and blue jeans compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.
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