Readings: Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 115; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16 :21-28
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.“
When I was a teenager, back in the ’80s, I used to dream about having a pocket computer. Something small enough that I could slip it into my pocket and yet powerful enough that it could store all my friends’ names and phone numbers. Forty years later, I think that my smart phone is amazing. I can communicate with loved ones in far-off places; I can navigate my way around any city; I can get an answer to almost any question I can think of; and I can order dinner to be delivered to my door without even making a phone call.
But it’s not all good news. This week a major lawsuit was settled in the US. Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, agreed to pay up to $18 billion dollars to resolve the federal lawsuit. The allegations relate to collecting children’s data without parental consent and harming the mental health of young people. Meta settled the lawsuit with no admission of guilt. And it’s not only young people that may be harmed by social media. There is growing evidence that adults of all ages are being affected by their use of digital technology. In society more broadly, there seems to be a trend for people to be disengaging from human society.
One of the causes of social withdrawal might be what is called “digital substitution”. Technology allows us to function while physically engaging less in the world than we used to. Remote working, online gaming and digital entertainment mean that physical presence is no longer required to meet many of our immediate physical and social needs. When I order food to be delivered to my apartment, I have no conversations with restaurant staff, no interactions with fellow diners and I share no friendly hand gestures with other road users. I get up from the sofa for two minutes, have a brief exchange with the delivery driver, and get back in front of the TV. Digital substitution may lead to less physical contact with others, but we cannot point the finger at technology alone. Modern society has many other features that are nudging people into social withdrawal.
Independence and self-reliance are highly valued in Western society, and we often prioritise individual success over community welfare. Swiss society is fortunately resisting some of these trends, but in many countries, membership of local clubs and civic organisations is in decline. The result is that our relationships are becoming more transactional and less intimate, and it becomes more difficult to feel that we are valued members of a community. We can also be nudged into social withdrawal by the competitive nature of modern life, especially in education and the workplace. The fear of not meeting high expectations can cause us to retract into ourselves as a defence mechanism against perceived failure. And the intense nature of working life can lead to an exhaustion that leads to a retreat from social life. Financial instability and the recent rise in the cost of living can mean that some of us cannot afford to be as involved in society as we had been. And finally mental health issues can lead to social withdrawal – negative experiences and difficult relationships can create anxiety and a desire to retreat from the world.
The trend of social withdrawal is complex and caused by many factors. None of them are trivial. None of them are easily solved. Western society is in a pretty gloomy place at the moment. Perhaps the best we can do is stay attentive to the changes happening around us and encourage each other as we seek to make the best of it. If we notice ourselves becoming more withdrawn from human society, can we find any encouragement in our Christian faith? Can the Gospel of Jesus Christ give us any clues about how to live well in uncertain times?
At Christmastime we often read the prologue to John’s gospel, where Jesus is described as the incarnation of the Word, and that: “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” The image of Christ burning brightly and shining in the darkness is echoed in Graham Kendrick’s famous chorus: “Shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire.” This imagery draws inspiration from a heavenly body. At the centre of the solar system lies the sun: a burning mass of hydrogen and helium that generates a huge amount of light and heat. Light and heat without which there would be no life on earth. Jesus is the light shining in the darkness. But how does that help us navigate modern life?
The first encouragement is knowing that God created each one of us and has given each one of us a unique set of gifts. It’s not always clear how we should use the gifts we’ve been given, but in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to his followers, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” We are called not to hide who we are from the world, but instead to take courage, to reveal ourselves to the world, and, as best we can, to “let our light shine before others”.
The second encouragement is knowing that we let our light shine, regardless of whether it is great or small. Jesus’s words are echoed in the well-known gospel song: “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” We are what we do. Whether we are extroverts, getting our energy for life from the time we spend with others, or whether we are introverts, getting our energy from the time we spend alone, we are all replenishing ourselves so that we can go out into the world and shine. However small the light might seem to be, we are called to let it shine.
The third encouragement is in acknowledging that the road will not be easy. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus knows that he is coming to the end of his life. He knows he is approaching the suffering and death that he cannot avoid. And he says to his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” As Christians we are disciples of Christ, and as disciples we are called to imitate Christ. We are called to take up our cross and follow him. We are called to lose our life so that we will find it.
At the centre of the solar system lies the sun, generating a huge amount of light and heat. Yet one day, even the sun will die. By burning so brightly, it is consuming itself and one day its light will be extinguished. In the same way, God has given us a limited time here on earth. As Christians, let us follow the example of Christ and burn as brightly as we can until our energy is fully consumed.
We live in uncertain times and much in society is unstable. If you notice those around you withdrawing from society, or if you notice yourself withdrawing, I encourage you to remember the words that we use at the end of the baptism service: “God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and has given us a place with the saints in light. You have received the light of Christ; walk in this light all the days of your life. Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father.” Amen.
Revd Nigel Dawkins