“The Paradox of Choice”

When I was a little kid, and even as a young man, my mother used to say “make good choices, and you’ll be alright.” That seemed to work, if I actually did what she suggested; and back then, I had fewer options from which to choose. For example, we didn’t even have a family car, so that dramatically reduced my options for getting in trouble.  I know it sounds like an old cliché, but life had the potential for greater simplicity and clarity back then. Life has the potential for greater complexity now – sometimes for the good, sometimes not.  I’m sure you’ve noticed this, and maybe you’ve had some of the same experiences.  I say “potential” for simplicity or complexity, because it all comes down to choices.

Here’s an example.  I went to the store the other day; only needed three things: bread, cereal and some chips for dipping. The bread aisle is as long as an aircraft carrier.  The cereal aisle is so long you need a passport to regain entry to the U.S.  I used to know what I wanted.  I looked around for something new – what a mistake!  I felt like I had to be locked in for the night to make the right choices, kind of like Tom Hanks in Terminal.  Remember the movie? The most redeeming feature of the experience is that I must have walked about six miles in the store, which seems to be about the size of Gillette Stadium.  This somewhat superficial example reflects the paradox of choice in our lives today. On a deeper level, it is very difficult for some of us to choose what’s so for us.

A psychologist named Barry Schwartz published a study in 2004 called The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less. In essence, his premise is that there are so many choices that we struggle to define our identity and values.  Think about how we’re literally bombarded with ads, e-mail, text messages, 401k options, five hundred TV channels, stores in the mall, websites, and, back to the supermarket, 29 varieties of tortilla chips. Swartz’s theory is that we gain comfort when we have fewer choices to confuse us.  While this may sound a bit contrary – less is more – it makes sense.

I ask this question with some trepidation: have any of you recently helped your child or grandchild in their choice of high school or college?   I see the pain in your faces. You know the story: where one goes to college is often more about what your friends are doing and what they and their parents think about your choice than what you actually think.  Whew – my anxiety is high just relating the scenario. This isn’t the case for everyone today, but it is for many teenagers.  While on a recent youth group retreat, a wonderful young woman in our group literally cried, “My whole life is in the hands of the Admissions Department!”

The anxiety that results from this process and others like it is about our need to find a fit, a place; and while it is often pressure from the outside, this anxiety can be internalized to the point where it’s unhealthy. We are afraid, confused – too much competition. Where do I belong, we ask? Where is my place to be me? Big question; covers a lot of territory. Bottom line is, how do we map out our lives? What road do we take, and do we know where we are headed? Sometimes we take the long way around; other times, a shortcut.  Either way, the choices can confound us.  Sometimes that confusion, that lack of clarity about our options and choices, invades our faith life.

In today’s gospel message from Mark, we get clear direction about Jesus Christ. The passage is short and direct, the message is clear – Jesus Christ is the beginning of the Good News. God’s promise to Israel has been fulfilled. Mark doesn’t start at the tender birth story.  He starts as Jesus begins his ministry offering salvation to all the followers in the new Christian community. The choice is clear – Jesus Christ is the Good News.

In Mark’s words, the story is relatively simple: Jesus Christ is the Son of God, he has a short productive public ministry that was often fraught with trouble and conflicts. Jesus dies on the cross, and is resurrected three days later. These are the scenes that bring God’s Love to humanity in Jesus Christ. The Good News is relatively simple to hear.  To choose it, to live it, is another story entirely.  And there is a bonus.  We are given the Holy Spirit through Jesus. The baptism of John with water is the first cleansing step. Jesus will then baptize us with the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit Jesus made it possible for us to have a new relationship with God.  All we have to do is choose it.

It helps to recognize that our relationship with the Holy Spirit is a personal one.  When I was a young boy, I asked my mother what was I supposed to do.  I was the only boy without a father – I was lonely and hurt. Mimi went and got a Bible (actually a Catholic missal) and turned to the gospel of John 14:15-18, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.  I will not leave you orphaned.” It took me awhile to learn the depth of that passage. It is the basis of my faith today.

Once we open ourselves to the presence of the Holy Spirit, our lives begin to evolve and move in a simpler, more fluid motion.  We begin to define ourselves from the inside, not from outside cultural pressures and demands. Each parent in this room, no matter our age, knows this is the biggest challenge our kids face regardless of their ages. When we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our thinking, our decisions begin to take a different course. Our need for a vast, often troubling array of choices seems less urgent.

This doesn’t mean that the choices we make guarantee an easy path.  Part of my life has been enlivened by a man I never met in person, but I feel like I know him like a brother. Rickey Scott was a student at Ripon College in Wisconsin in the mid 1960s. He was an evangelical Christian who was also a pacifist and a Conscientious Objector.  He had a deep, open belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and firmly believed in the presence of the Holy Spirit. In spite of his profile, he chose to enlist in the Army, to do what he could to be a presence of the Spirit. Rickey became a medic and was assigned to a company in Vietnam led by my dearest friend Jeff. He refused to carry a weapon, even for his own defense and protection. He arrived in the field as clueless as every other young soldier, but prepared to serve. In the heat of one of the worst battles, which was also one of the last in the Vietnam War, Rickey crawled out into the open terrain, unprotected, to aid a fallen soldier. Jeff called him back, certain the fallen soldier was, in fact, already dead. Just about the time Rickey reached the other man, some 30 yards from cover, Rickey was killed, too. He died in his 48^th hour of service, his second day in the field.  He was 20 young years old. Company A lost half its men over those six days before the fight was over.

In just 48 hours, Corporal Rickey Scott became an inspiration to many men. In just 48 hours, Company A learned about the depth and integrity of a small, gentle medic. My friend tells me Rickey inspired and blessed many men in many ways. Rickey was empowered by his faith and by the Holy Spirit. He said he believed the passage from Acts 1:8 “ You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witness…”To this day, some 40+ years later, my friend Jeff lives his life in the spirit of Rickey Scott’s commitment. When I feel like I might weaken in life’s challenges, I set my mind on Rickey Scott for inspiration. I didn’t have to know him personally, but I know how the Spirit lives in me, and I feel connected.

When we preachers and teachers, parents and partners, bosses and brethren offer ourselves as the witness of the Holy Spirit, we often get better at what we do. We have more impact. Can we let ourselves be guided by the spirit?  Can we help our kids see the value of the spirit in us? Simply put, the divine presence of Jesus Christ can help us maximize our potential. Howard Thurman, the beloved Dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University in the 1960s who I often quote, called this presence of the Holy Spirit the “Irreducible Essence” of God in us….no matter what we do in life. Dr. Thurman’s premise is that if you develop a cultivated will, with spiritual discipline, the flame of faith will never leave you.  One aspect of this kind of discipline is the ability to make a choice. 

The first step is repentance. In Bible study the other day, Ted Walker explained that repentance is best defined by the Greek word “metanoia,” which means to change one’s mind, to turn and go in the opposite direction, to move from sin and turn to life. When we make such a turn, we make a decided choice – one path over the other.  Maybe one definition of sin is being overwhelmed by choices – rather than choosing trust in the Holy Spirit that we will, in fact, get all we need.  John the Baptist calls us to prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. He’s not talking about building a highway system – he’s talking about us.  Advent is a great time to hear this message – time to turn to prepare the way for the Lord. 

As we choose the right gift for our kids, our grandkids, our spouses, and partners this Christmas season, let’s also choose to take Advent closer to our hearts. This is not a call to passive waiting. It is one of full anticipation and expectation. Jesus calls us to this kind of Advent anticipation when he says, “beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” (Mark 13:33) Our call as a congregation is to build the church of Jesus Christ on earth – now.  In this Advent Season, let’s pray to prepare the way of the Lord personally, and by opening our doors to a host of new members of all ages, new families, and new young people who are trying to make good choices, just like us.

This Christmas, let’s see the gift of the Holy Spirit as a way to minimize the paradox of choices that oftentimes leaves us empty and confused. God has offered God’s Son Jesus Christ.  During Advent, we have time to prepare, time to repent, time to turn around. Now that is really Good News.