Tag Archives: future generations

WHAT A GIFT – JESUS’ REAL DEATH

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Doesn’t the splendor and meaning of Jesus life
Derive entirely from his death –
The actual one – the one he accepted
At the hands of Roman soldiers and Temple officials?

So, how could his death become more meaningful
By refusing to acknowledge it –
Playing the Roman game of power trumping power?

The truth is that if Jesus ever decides to come again
It would have to be spiritually, not materially,
After all, even now, isn’t he “alive”
In the hearts of people grateful for his gift –
Not as the prime source of some Pauline super-cult
But only as a human subject –
Since subjects are the only type of human beings
Free enough to make a decision to physically die
In order to spiritually live.

If Jesus knew he was going to be resurrected
Wouldn’t his “death” have been pointless –
Since such “risen life” would have undermined
The meaning of his actual death –
The gift he had decided upon.

Jesus “became” God upon achieving the freedom to die for God
As well as for the rest of us –
So his gift would become available for future generations
By his spirit becoming generally available –
And God’s Kingdom, by that reason, starting to achieve reality here on earth
Among all people.

What a gift – that real death!

EVERYONE WANTS THE SAME THING

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Everyone wants the same thing –
A good community for their children to grow up in
And, if their descendants so choose, the same place for future generations.

People want a meaningful God to worship –
A God who encourages goodness, spontaneity, and creativity.

People want love between husbands and wives to be and remain real,
And freedom for their children to “be themselves,”
Along with friends who they’re happy to spend time with
As well as an openness to joy – (not just satisfaction or happiness)
But pure joy.

They want to experience the world getting better
With violence, nihilism, and hatefulness falling away.

They want their intellectuals to have common sense –
While still preferring to “think for themselves” –
And they’ll take all the time necessary to sort through
The value of what they’re presented with
So as to make intelligent-loving decisions.

Everyone wants the same thing –
Good neighbors – (next door, county, state, and country) –
And they’ll also want to know that, as they age, they’ll be on a natural arc
Of becoming more loving, more wise,
And more accepting of others.

Finally, they want God to be their best friend –
A God who’ll walk out ahead of them, pointing out what’s good,
What they should seriously treasure, and, ultimately,
What’s important to be retained for life beyond our physical life –
The one we can’t now see or experience, but hope will be there
When it finally comes time for us to go.

REINTERPRETING GENESIS

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The snake was both friend and foe –
Friend because it enticed us into opening up to self-awareness
Foe because it gave no hint about the consequences.

Once, long ago, we lived as happy human animals,
Doing what we wanted or needed –
Without reflection.

But, one day, just before biting into a ripe pomegranate,
We stepped back, looked at what we could see, and
Made a conscious choice.

For the first time, we could see ourselves, in context –
And were shocked –
Because, suddenly, we realized we were responsible
For our actions
And that we were no longer going to just do “what comes natural”.

After that, we had choices:
To be anything –
To do anything –
And we would be able to see it all.

After that pivotal moment, we no longer could stop seeing ourselves –
Because once you know – you know –
And in that archaic instant, we lost all naturalness –
We lost “Eden”.

The gap between a human animal
And a human being is virtually infinite,
(not qualitatively different from the gap between the spark or “touch” that created the universe and God),
Now, however, we’re compelled to continue crossing that gap,
Because, once started, there’s really no turning back.

The snake knew this, of course –
That’s why its gift was a curse,
And its curse a gift –

Humans had to lose themselves
In order to become themselves.

This is the cross shared by every human being –
And it’s never a matter of sin
But of consciousness of the responsibility for our own suffering.

All of us, also, need to suffer for future generations
Who’ll need to cross that gap as well
To become full human beings.

So, each of us is presented with the same choice as Jesus –
That is, whether or not to act as God
Would act
If God were human.

For us, it’ll always be a matter of direction –
Individually, as well as for the entire human race.