So Many Books - So Little Time

Had a number of books that I had lined up for these holidays - a couple I needed to finish and 4 new ones. So far I've completed one of my "finish off" books and couple of my new ones.

What I found quite interesting was that I was reading books from quite different Christian traditions but in fact they were dealing with pretty much the same territory. It's the "more than" gospel. Christian belief and practice are more than "getting saved - going to heaven" - it's about Christ's life, death and resurrection "for us" but also his ongoing work "in us". It's about what we believe and how we behave. It's about being better "for" our communities and our world, rather than better "than". It's about the "done" and the "continuing". Christ continues to form us. We're not loved because we are Christians - we are loved because we exist, because we have been created. It's not personal salvation, it's never been personal salvation, it's about salvation for the entire universe, the whole of creation being brought back into harmony with it's Creator. And we have a part to play in that. It's a way of life, me living more and more in harmony with God, which goes on forever. We are returning to what we were originally created to be, we are returning because the Kingdom of Heaven is near.

And to live there we have to trust that what God says about us is true - we are the beloved of God. We are "first fruits".

It reminds me of a couple of Annie Dillard quotes

"All day long I feel created. I can see the blown dust on the skin on the back of my hand, the tiny trapezoids of chipped clay, moistened and breathed alive."

and

"We have been as usual asking the wrong question. It does not matter a hoot what the mockingbird on the chimney is singing. The real and proper question is: Why is it beautiful?"

Maybe we're asking the wrong question - not "How am I saved?" but "Why am I saved?"