I Love You, Man... And I Don't Want Your Beer.

Sunday, May 4, 1997
| John 15:9-17

Disciples of Jesus are "commanded" to build grace-based communities of joy, forgiveness and love.

The ability of Madison Avenue to make the profound seem trivial while transforming the trivial into the profound is wickedly wondrous. Of course, that really is the whole goal of advertising -- to make whatever you are selling, no matter how trivial, appear at that moment to be the most important consideration consumers are facing.

One of the hottest ad campaigns last year succeeded in elevating the age-old practice of bumming a beer from a friend to a new art form. You've surely seen the shots of a bunch of fishing buddies sitting around the campfire "bonding" over their experience. Suddenly one of the guys grows tearful and confessional. Coming close to one of his friends around the fire, he throws his arms around him and reveals in a tough-guy but choky voice, "I love you, man!" But instead of being touched, his friend sees right through the flood of tears. "That's great, man," he agrees, "but you still aren't getting my Budweiser!" The only reason for the first guy's confession...


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