More Hymn Theology
“This World Is Not My Home”
Do we turn our backs on the world when we sing this song? We tend to draw a line between this world and the next with no connection between the two. We are supposed to store up our treasures in Heaven, but do we do this by sticking our fingers in our ears and “la-la-la”ing when the world wants our attention?
At the beginning of Gladiator, Maximus says durnig his pre-battle speech, “What we do in this life echoes in eternity” (or something like that). If this life is spent focused on not doing something, on avoiding things, perhaps eternity will turn out to be a quiet place.
Or is it more like this: we store up treasure in Heaven by getting our hands, feet, and faces dirty in the alluvial mud pits of God’s redemptive work in the lives of people on Earth?
This world is not my home
I’m just a’passing through
But I’m going to get as filthy as possible
Before that happens
I don’t think that one will show up on an order of worship any time soon.
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You typed:
“If this life is spent focused on not doing something, on avoiding things, perhaps eternity will turn out to be a quiet place.”
In response, I offer a quote from John Piper:
“The ethical question ‘whether something is permissible’ faded in relation to the question, ‘what is the main thing, the essential thing?’ The thought of building a life around minimal morality or minimal significance — a life defined by the question, ‘What is permissible?’ — felt almost disgusting to me. I didn’t want a minimal life. I didn’t want to live on the outskirts of reality. I wanted to understand the main thing about life and pursue it.”
Maybe this isn’t spot-on to what you’re talking about, but I think it’s at least a thought-provoking tangent.
Definitely. There’s a quote out there from Jim Wallis (a nonpolitical quote) that goes, “Defining faith by the things you won’t do does not create a compelling style of life.”
We think that way a lot. At least I do. It seems easier to think that way than to generate and create actions that please the Maker. Easier to avoid things and call that faithfulness than figure out what we should be doing and do it.