MY PRIORITIES IN LIFE
Donald M. Murray, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and writing coach, famously articulated that “all writing is autobiography” in his 1991 essay of the same name. He argued that all writing—whether fiction, poetry, or journalism—is connected to the author’s life, experiences, and personal voice.
Well, this certainly is true for me, especially in this instalment. I will directly implement this obvious rule, but confine my writing mainly to my spiritual priorities, which are God/Creation, the Church and the New Creation.
First about God.
We cannot even ask the right questions about God. Augustine wrote – in Latin, of course: “Si comprehendis, non est Deus. That needs clarification, first in translating and then in understanding. The Latin sentence means: “If you understand it, it’s not God you are talking about.” Fortunately, God has given us some measure of understanding, to wit in Jesus, God’s Son, as related in the Scriptures, and in Creation. It also seems to me that the more insight we gain in our own psyche, the easier it is also is to know Jesus, perfect God, but also perfect human. Dr. Sabine Dramm in her introduction to Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s thoughts, has clarified my thinking: “What Bonhoeffer presents as specific to the Christian faith is the perception of God and the world as one.” I see this confirmed in Romans 1: 20: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
The Church.
The second matter that keeps my mind busy is the Church.
Where does the word ‘church’ come from? Well, in different languages – Dutch ‘kerk’, German ‘kirche’, Scottish ‘kirk’ – they are all derived from the Greek ‘kuriakon’, meaning ‘the place of the Lord’ (kurios). But the word does not appear in the Bible. Christians, in their early stage, had no buildings to meet in and gathered in people’s homes.
Another designation of ‘the church’ is ‘ecclesia’, simply indicating a crowd come together for a common purpose.
However, the church is not synonymous with Christianity. While the church is religion, Christianity is a way of ‘life’. Jesus did not bring a new religion. No. He illustrated that our entire life should be dominated by “The Kingdom”, that means LIFE, and that to the full: 24/7. “Seek first the Kingdom”, was Jesus’ message: Seek the welfare of Creation!
So, what is the church for? What is Life all about? It is our eternal quest for the Truth. I sincerely believe that the Church exists, not so much to tell us about the Bible – that too – but to prepare us for the future earth to come. What I call the ‘Heaven Heresy’ is still so ingrained in ‘theology’ that this false doctrine still dominates ‘religion’.
To discover that “Life is religion”, has defined my journey.
When I was a child, I saw God in my father. As a 4 year old – already fed on Bible stories – our family spent a day at the beach. I was thirsty and tasted the water to spit it out at once. I ran to my father, and asked him to throw in a piece of wood, as Moses did when Israel faced a similar situation.
Life is a journey, a quest for knowledge, that never ends. There is wisdom in realizing this. Already Socrates confessed that the only thing he knew was ‘that he knew nothing: “Scio me nescire”.
Yet, the church remains for me a great mystery. Augustine famously said, “Many whom God has, the Church does not have; and many whom the Church has, God does not have.” Is that why, in Revelation 21, there is no mention of the Church? Verse 22 says: “There is no temple there”. If the church were to disappear today, would the world notice?
The New Creation.
My life is always focused, not only on the present but also on the future, the future being the New Creation. It is my sincere belief that I must try to live that redeemed life now, in preparation for eternity.
I believe that Creation is holy, and my body as well. It is God’s personal gift to me to look after and cherish and keep intact – in preparation for my ‘redeemed’ body which I will receive from God when the DAY dawns. Today, and every day that aim is a priority in my life. The reason for me having a mainly vegetarian diet can be traced to that goal: Animals too deserve God’s grace, and the way they are treated, live ‘inhumanely’ and be slaughtered cruelly, is an abomination. In the New Creation, animals, all animals, will be our friends and we will communicate with them on our different level.
Of course, the Bible is important, but only as a guide for LIFE. Jesus, as recorded in John 10:10, brought Life, and that to the FULL. That very ‘life’ is now being ‘unmade’ as outlined by Paul Kingsnorth in his recent book, AGAINST THE MACHINE, in which he correctly describes how Humanity is losing its soul, and wonders whether we control our devices or whether they control us.
Rereading my words, I realize how inadequate my musings are.