Sale, sale, sale! Buy, buy, buy!
It’s that time of year when the television seems packed with longer commercial breaks and the inbox fills with more ads than actual mail. Everything shouts the same message: Look! Want! Buy!
It was ABBA who sang:
Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man’s world…
I was struck by the irony of a recent ad practically screaming (if a print ad could talk), “Time is running out!”
(Okay, don’t get ahead of me… stay with me.)
The company was urging me to act fast so I could order their personalized products—hydration bottles in every color imaginable, complete with a name, a sports team logo, even a picture! And yes, for the curious, the bottles fit nicely into car cupholders.
Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man’s world…
And honestly, who wouldn’t want a personalized bottle with a picture of the kids… or Fido?
But after the moment of chuckling and musing passed, my mind shifted to the words of our Savior. His followers had been celebrating their recent spiritual victories, but Jesus quickly reframed what they thought was worthy of celebration:
“I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Look, I have given you authority to crush snakes and scorpions underfoot. I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, don’t rejoice because the spirits submit to you. Rejoice instead that your names are written in heaven.”
I’m not trying to over-spiritualize a personalized water bottle, but it is interesting how easily our attention—and our hearts—are captured.
Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man’s world…
And ABBA’s song contains a telling contrast, almost a wistful lament:
If I got me a wealthy man
I wouldn’t have to work at all; I’d fool around and have a ball.
Indeed, there is a wealthy man—a Savior—who spoke of a relationship in which the burdens we inevitably face are made light through Him. And yes, a celebration—the party to end all parties—is just around the corner.
Cue the band!
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Pastor Mark
Mark, the eighth of nine children born to Reuben and Henrietta Meeks—dedicated church planters with nearly 30 congregations established across California’s Central Valley—is a preacher's kid who grew up immersed in faith and service. With over forty years of experience teaching, discipling, and ministering to communities, including the hospitalized and incarcerated, Mark responded to God's call to pastoral ministry. He holds degrees in civil engineering and public administration, as well as a Master’s in Theology from Fuller Seminary, equipping him to serve with both practical insight and spiritual depth.
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