Nothing in Excess by Anthony Leaver

A recent report by The Institution of Mechanical Engineers said that as much as half of the world's food, is wasted. The waste is caused by poor storage, strict sell-by dates, bulk offers and consumer fussiness.

Coincidentally, I saw a TV programme about Delphi in Greece, the site of the ancient Oracle.

I visited this site some 45 years ago whilst staying in Lindos on the island of Rhodes. On a nearby headland is the tomb of Cleobulus – a tyrant who ruled the island around 600 BC.  He was one of seven sages each of whom represented an aspect of worldly wisdom, summarized by an aphorism.  For Cleobulus, his wise saying was “Nothing in Excess”.  These words were carved into the temple of Apollo at Delphi and are still visible today.  Cleobulus might have been a tyrant, but his exhortation to moderation is in tune with the Christian approach.  At a global level, the world is an awful mosaic of surplus and shortage. Zoom in, ‘Google-Earth’ style, and the same applies to localities – the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, the unemployed and those needing work, the hungry and the over-fed, all not very far apart.

Now, there is nothing  wrong in being one of the ‘haves’, provided that one doesn’t move into the position of excess and in so doing, deprive others, driving them into being ‘have-nots’.  This can apply to business who indulge in tax avoidance (even if actually legal) whose activities restrict Government revenues which could be used for social purposes. It also applies to the food waste referred to above. Walk through the autumn fields close to Loose and one sees so much fruit left to rot, because it is not economically viable to harvest it. And yet only a few miles away, there are food banks to feed those who cannot afford the premium, even excess, quality products in the supermarkets. For some, the excess is not accessible.

Of course, this has always been the case and the Bible records many examples of excess for some and deprivation for others. But it was John the Baptist who taught on this aspect “The man with two coats should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same”.(Luke ch 3 v 11).

In our society today, ‘excess’ may not necessarily be simply money or material things – some people have an excess of time to share whilst others are in dire need of care and attention, because Social Services have very limited time to spare for each personal visit.

A second carving on the wall at Delphi bears the words “Know Thyself”.  It perhaps echoes the saying of another Greek philosopher, Socrates, "The unexamined life is not worth living."   Business consultant Karl Palachuk remarks “People who do examine their lives, who think about where they've been, how they got here, and where they're going, are much happier people.”

Christians who have come to faith have done so by examining their lives, realising their need to return to God and accepting the invitation to have a proper relationship with Him.  That certainly doesn’t guarantee material blessings in this life: nevertheless,  in the Bible, there are numerous examples of excess. In writing to the church at Ephesus,  St Paul refers to Jesus as he promises excess:  “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…”.  

Time to examine one’s life again ?  To know more about that invitation to spiritual ‘excess’, register for our next Christianity Explored Course after Easter.