As many of you might be aware, Leeman and I just moved into one of the houses just behind the church.  As, with any move, this inevitable has already involved more than one trip to that wonderful (horrible?) land of meatballs and allen wrenches we call Ikea.

I don't know what it is that makes me feel a slight twinge of shame when I confess to shopping at Ikea.  Maybe it's just that Ikea seems to embody all that is wrong with our instant-gratification consumer-driven society.  The whole place gives off the vibe that we can craft a whole unique identity for ourselves buy purchasing a slightly different combination of ready-made products than the hundreds (thousands?) of other people who go through the store on a daily basis.  Not to mention the fact that the furniture is hardly made to last.  What would be the point?  When the table starts wearing out, we should indulge our desire for something new and shiny anyhow!  It all reminds me of that scene in Fight Club where Edward Norton identifies every item in his apartment by its product name and price tag:

It's rather easy to get depressed when we think about consumer culture--it's easy to feel as though we have no power against the corporations and entities vying for our attention.  We need a roof over our heads, and we need places to sit, sleep, and eat under than roof.  The situation only becomes more complicated when we think about the workers in the developing world we're exploiting or the natural resources we're using up by our boundless consumption.

I don't have an easy theological answer to solve the challenges posed to us by our situation in a consumer culture.  Citing Jesus's comments not to worry about what we will eat or wear (Matthew 6) or Paul's exhortation to change the world, rather than being changed by it (Romans 12) just seem all too glib.

As we continue to wrestle with consumerism and all it entails, maybe the best we can do is keep a bit of perspective in our thoughts.  There may (I daresay will) come a time when we have to buy a new couch or kitchen table.  All the same, it is God who has made us each individually far more unique than any products we purchase can signify.  It is building God's kingdom in the world--and not our own private castles--which we are called to embrace as our goal in this life.