I love my mum. She's one of the most incredible women alive. I ring her every week to chat things through. She's one of my best friends. Now before you get out a violin, a tissue or maybe a noose, let me set my comments in some sort of context. Along with a few friends, I had pottered along to a teatime church service (it wasn't songs of praise live, I promise!) After the sermon, we sang one of my favourite songs of the moment: Tim Hughes' "Clinging to the Cross"
It speaks of how the writers find thier hope in God, despite the trials that the world brings. I love this song, and identify with it's sentiments. The problem I have with it is this; it's really quite gnostic. I'll explain; some might be offended by this, it's a bit of a rant, but please engage me in conversation about it. What do you think?
Firstly, the idea that we have to "let go of all earthly things" is completely at odds with the message of Jesus. In fact, he embraced the world, and came to be exactly like us, in order to save us from sin, not the world. If he hasn't, then I can never be healed - he's just saved my soul, and that is not sufficient for the ressurrection that Christians believe in, nor is it capable of overcoming the vices of our bodies. Rather, he came to teach us to "let go of all of these things" which hold us back, make us stumble, trap us in fear; embracing his new way of living.
Further, if we ask God to "lead me home" we may not get what we bargained for; we are humans, our home is the earth, our humanity is not evil; it was created by God. I appreciate that our world is alienated by the first and continual mess of human bad living, but he made the world and saw that it was good! We're asking God to transform our lives now, leading us back to a place of Christ-like living - though we are citizens of heaven, we live on earth, and seek "his kingdom come". "Lead me to the lost"; "teach me of the cost" - this is the life we are called to, not removal from the sufferings through eternal disembodiment, floating in the clouds.
How much more powerful if we realised that this is the place to which Jesus will return? He will wipe away the tears from our faces - HERE! He has called us to be people who bring in his kingdom, and that means we have the power of God behind us, beneath us and within us. If we save all our eschatology for heaven, then that's where our hope ends up, leaving us nothing to offer those around us. Our eyes are in the sky, waiting for Jesus to come and save us from the "evil" world that we live in. The advance of God's kingdom until the return of the king is a massively powerful message. That's a story I'm happy to put my hope in. Someone who will turn our ashes into beauty, rebuild fallen walls, plant an oasis in the desert. Rather than discarding the world in favour of the spirit, renewing them.
And this was the rant I shared with Mum! She was gracious. Needed to think about it I think.
So what do you think? I'm not talking about the song now... you have the floor... feel free to comment. N.B. If anything is used as a weapon against someone, I'll delete it.
Whose cross do we cling to? Where is our home? What are the things we are to let go of?
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