Table of Contents | Just as July 4, 1776, December 7, 1941, and September 11, 2001, have become touchstones for our American identity so there are events in my life that measure my progress and shape my identity as a follower of Jesus. The preceding story has sought to describe those events. I hope that the few years I have before love's embrace claims me will witness a nation and church that will live up to the dreams and expectations of our founding fathers and that, using the classic words of Wendell Berry's Foreword in Thoughts in the Presence of Fear: Three Essays for a Changed World, "We will duly reinvent ourselves in the image of a more just, less materialistic, ecologically secure and spiritually enriched culture...." And the human longing for exuberant and abundant life, freedom to grow and mature, recognition of the spiritual dimensions of existence, the appreciation of differences and the delight of creativity -- surely this is that reinvention of the human that is essential -- the human modeled, for me, by the one Walter Wink describes in his book The Human Being. That is the mission of the church even if other language is usually chosen to convey that vision. Evangelicals and progressives alike can agree here! I am utterly convinced that there is the posssibility of renewing human respect for this earth and all the good, useful and beautiful things that come from it. I dare to believe that faith, understood as trust that sees the world and other people for what they are when viewed through God's eyes, is salvific for this entire cosmos. What I yearn to see isn't an endorsement of traditional religious doctrines. It is, to use the words of Robert W. Funk in A Credible Jesus: Fragments of a Vision, trusting that "the world is so constructed as to provide for the basic needs of birds and lilies..." as well as all of God's human creatures. Trust, says Funk, "requires a huge affirmation of life in all its potentially beautiful aspects. But it entails the acceptance of life's ugly dimensions as well." I believe that a change of heart, a reality the evangelical community refuses to let others ignore, is essential when understood as rooted in trust. For me, my trust is in this One who has been my companion on the way, model for my life, symbol of God and the way into the embrace of love. He pointed me to something he called Empire of God. After many years, I came to see the "shining possibility" of his vision. It is a realm of unutterable love, peace and justice. And the door into this realm is grace, sheer and undeserved! The door stands ajar and we enter that realm because God "graces" us. No one of us can earn grace. No one of us is good enough. No one of us is religious enough. No one of us reads the Bible enough. No one of us obeys enough commandments. No one of us says enough prayers. No one of us does enough good deeds. No one of us believes enough. No one of us preaches enough. No one of us even loves Jesus enough. No! No! You don't receive grace that way. God gives grace to anyone who is open to receive. Marcus Borg expresses what is "the heart of Christianity" with words that speak for me. "Christian practice," he writes, "is about walking with God, becoming kind and doing justice. It is not about believing in God and being a good person; it is about how one becomes a good person through the practice of loving God." God invites everyone to a sumptuous feast in kingdom wherein this practice is lived. This work that is my profound calling has changed across the years; yet, at its most fundamental level, having "glimpsed the mystery" because of Jesus it is still my work! But, more, it's my work because I yearn for you to see that realm of grace too. When you finally glimpse the Empire of God to which Jesus has been pointing all along but you were too blind and insensitive to see then you are eager for others to see what you see. It is absolutely enchanting! And even the luminous path, with Jesus as guide, is illumined by blazing light. In his company you can't miss the way into the eternal embrace of God's love. And I shall keep on pointing to what I see as long as I live. So ends the story of my "sacred journey" -- for now! Tell me about yours if you wish! (BobSueSand@aol.com) "For now" didn't last long! Circumstances conscripted me and I have resumed my sacred journey. On the table of contents you will see my "On the Road Again." I have posted there those things that I am pointing at now! I have written about several issues -- the impeachment of George W. Bush, the "surge" as found in insurgency, "explaining" tragedy, war as an elixir, violence, etc. |