Abundant Life
“Jesus has come that we may have an abundant life. His feeding narrative's attest that the generosity of God is assured wherever Jesus rules in the earth, and we count on that generosity. And that means that our common practices of greed, of the pursuit of consumer goods, of the frantic effort to acquire more, are both inappropriate and unnecessary. Our society hunger is always for more; more body surgery, more cosmetics, more cars, more beer, more sex, more certitude, more security, more money, more power, more oil …. whatever.
“This hunger for more is a true sign that we do not trust the goodness of God to supply all of our needs; we do not trust the generous rule of Jesus who has ascended to power is in effect. But we, we are Jesus people, and therefore we are pledged and empowered to act differently, differently in the neighborhood, differently in the economy, and as citizens of the last superpower, differently in the world.”
Walter Bruggemann, A Gospel of Hope. Bruggemann is Professor Emeritus of the Old Testament at Columbia Theoloigcal Seminary and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.
