The Christian Brand

Revealing God, show us the path to your Kingdom. Help us to walk that path. Guide our feet into the light that we may see your presence. Amen.


When I say the word “Electrolux” what comes to mind?

“Electrolux Sux.” If you buy an Electrolux you don’t expect to get a car. You don’t even expect to get a Dust-Buster. You expect to get a vacuum that you can use to clean your whole house.


Let’s try one a little bit harder: “Kodak.”

In it’s early days, Kodak, or Eastman Kodak, was all about photographic film. Kodak was known to produce film and photographic paper that produce consistent images. Many of you may remember Kodachrome film which made color photography much easier (they just stopped making it last year). What is Kodak best known for now? Photo printers, cameras, and photo sharing. But even more than that, Kodak is known for consistently good photographic products and reasonable prices.


Brand image is very powerful. Just the name of a brand can become associated with significant expectations. Sometimes those expectations are unrealistic. Sometimes things happen to damage that image. Take for instance Toyota’s recent problems. Toyota has always prided itself on exceptional safety of its products. It looks like brand image was so important to Toyota that safety may have taken a back seat to the image of safety. Toyota has a long road ahead of them to repair their image.


Today’s Gospel is all about brand image.


Christian.


Jesus is talking about what it takes to be associated with his brand. Who claims to represent it. Who actually represents it. And who owns it.

We’ll start with the last of those. Who owns Christ’s image? “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” Hard to believe, but this is a statement of brand ownership. What is Jesus saying here?

Herod has been trying to kill Jesus since before he was born without success. Herod has no claim on Jesus. Jerusalem is the ‘city of God’ where you can find God’s house – the temple. The brand of Jesus belongs to God and to no earthly power.


What do we know about those who represent brands?

I’m only going to use one example here (with two brands). Who here has heard of Tiger Woods? What brands does or did he represent?

Chrysler and Nike. Tiger has been kept as a representative by one of these brands and dropped by the other. Do you know which kept him? And why?

Well, Chrysler dropped Tiger. Chrysler works very hard to maintain a clean image. They target successful executives, often with families. Professional images without a hint of scandal are very important for these prospective buyers.

Nike on the other hand named itself after the Greek goddess of victory. Their image is all about being the best of the best at sport. No one questions that Tiger is still there. Nike’s image has nothing to do with being politically correct or keeping your word – it is all about success – victory or nothing. Though I think Tiger took their slogan a bit too literally.


Back to our Gospel. “Jesus has warned that few who have eaten with him will enter the Kingdom: many apparently pious people will be excluded. Many others, from across the world, will eat with him.”

This is about who claims to represent his brand and who actually does. Who really holds God’s endorsement?

Earlier in the twenty-third chapter of Luke Jesus talks about who will be able to enter the Kingdom. He makes it clear that following him is not a free pass. This is not quite about salvation. It is about bringing the Kingdom of God into its fullness. Eating at his table or going to church is not enough. In fact, many who have never heard of Jesus will help to bring about the Kingdom. If church is not the answer, what does it take to be one of these people.

In other words, what does the brand “Christian” stand for?


This is what the entire Gospel is all about. This is the good news. Jesus has set out very clearly what is acceptable and what is expected of those who represent the Christian brand.

It is not about money. You don’t have to be rich or poor to be a Christian. There are advantages to both.

It is not about being saved. You don’t have to be Christian to be saved. Christ died for everyone.

It is not about piety. You don’t have to pray to be a Christian. But it helps.

It is not about going to church. Many people who go to church are not Christian. Many Christians do not go to church. But it helps.

It is not about reading the Bible. Many Christians never even have the opportunity to read a Bible. But it helps.

Being Christian is about three very important things.

Number one. Living simply. We are called to be good stewards of creation. To make use of what we need and to care for the rest.

Number two. Simply living. We are called to be human. To be everything that God made us to be. To use the gifts that we have been given.

Number three. To help others to do the same. To help others learn about what it means to be good stewards. To help others to discover and use their gifts.

This is the trinity of the Christian brand. Stewardship, humanity, service. God the creator, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. By the grace of God, we can represent this brand. We were created in its image. Thanks be to God.