by Rob Caudillo
You may remember the Capital One credit card commercials aired around Christmas last year featuring a horde of barbarians charging towards a customer who was paying for a purchase with a credit card. The commercial always ended with the question, “what’s in your wallet?” I’m reminded of one particular Capital One commercial where a couple is making a purchase in the jewelry department of a store – maybe Macy’s or Nordstrom’s. When the clerk tells them how much the purchase will cost, the woman reaches into her purse and pulls out a credit card. Suddenly you see this horde of barbarians surging through the store. They run down the store aisles with weapons drawn, yelling and heading straight for this unsuspecting couple. The barbarians come to an abrupt halt, as the woman says to her companions, “No need to worry, we have Capital One” and hands the credit card to the clerk. The point of the commercial is that making one self liable to the financial charges on credit cards is like bringing on the barbarians. In this particular commercial, as the barbarians are charging down the store aisle they pass by the perfume department, and as they do the audience sees a clerk spray perfume on them.
As if a few squirts of perfume would change the nature of a horde of bloodthirsty barbarians!! |
Two things strike me about this commercial. First is the whole idea of “spraying perfume” on these barbarians. As if trying to civilize or change the nature of a horde of bloodthirsty barbarians - get rid of their foul odor - with a few squirts of perfume, will really work! It reminds me of the temptation for the Christian church to think that if we squirt a little religion on non-believers that will bring transformation and change in their lives. Or a person thinking and believing that if he or she does the religious stuff – goes to church, has the most current and popular Bible, attends all the church potlucks and events, participates in service and mission projects, there will be spiritual transformation in his or her life. As perfume cannot change the barbarian, so religion cannot change the heart of the non-believer. Nor do religious activities and stuff truly bring transformation to new life with God. Only a relationship with Jesus Christ brings the transformation or change into one’s life and heart. And the reality of the “relationship with Jesus” message only truly happens as you and I personally, constantly and intentionally show and share our relationship and new life in Jesus with non-believers.
Secondly, consider the question asked at the end of the commercial, “What’s in your wallet?”. The commercial is referring to what kind of credit cards you have and use. On spiritual reflection, I think that if one’s wallet represents what one values in one’s life, then what do you and I, as followers of Christ Jesus, value or have in our “wallets”? What does our wallet declare about our most important values? When asked by life’s circumstances, a broken world, or a non-believer to show what we value, can you and I say, “Not to worry, I have Christ Jesus! And let me share and show you why.”?
Those are some things to ponder as we begin the Fall season and meet opportunities to be God’s children and Christ’s disciples within one another, our neighbors and into all the world through God’s grace and love.
Peace,
Pastor Rob