"Fire-Escape"
Oh, my brother where ya headed?
Where ya going when you die?
Are you headed up to heaven, that home on high?
Are you making preparations for that meeting in the sky?
Oh, my brother where ya headed?
Where ya going, where ya going when your die?
I'm guessing that few folks reading this blog would have ever heard these lines actually sung in a worship service, but they comprise the refrain to a Southern Gospel song that was a huge favorite in the congregation of my youth.
This refrain actually summarizes a good portion of the preaching I remember from those days: the glorious gift of the "here and now" life was presented as little more than a staging area for the next one (which would begin immediately upon one's death). The individual is given two choices of where to spend "eternity". There's no opting out of the choice. If one fails to make the choice toward "the home on high" in this life, then the default setting is to "go below" (to the fires of hell) in the next one.
The song presents a classic "three story" cosmology with heaven (eternal bliss) above, hell (eternal suffering) below and this life sandwiched between the two as the singular opportunity for human beings to accept or reject God. Even though I was assured that God did not "desire the death of sinners", I recall many sermons where the preacher could describe the fate of the damned with such specificity that one might think he had toured hell personally as research.
Heaven, on the other hand wasn't such a hot topic. Every now and then we would hear the preacher talk about "streets of gold, walls of jasper, gates of pearl" (characteristics of the"New Jerusalem" in the book of Revelation). We would be reminded that in heaven there would be no more separation from loved ones and that we would mostly keep ourselves occupied with worship services. But we were usually cautioned against "being so heavenly minded we were no earthly good."
To be of some "earthly good" meant that "believers" like us were to be actively engaged in evangelistic activities to rescue the souls of all the poor, unaware sinners from perdition. The "sinner" first had to be convinced that she/he was headed straight to hell simply by virtue of being born. As an added incentive for us to get out and witness, we were reminded that if we had the opportunity to share this Good News with an "unbeliever" and didn't, then we bore a portion of the blame for their damnation...because there's always plenty of guilt to go around!
My purpose in describing this particular understanding of salvation is to remind myself of how infrequently we Episcopalians speak specifically of God's saving work in Christ at all. We say the words, "for us and for our salvation, he (the Son) came down from heaven" each week at the recitation of the Nicene Creed, but we rarely talk about what those words might mean. I wish we would. We might discover that we have Good News to share that is more than "fire insurance".
Oh, my brother where ya headed?
Where ya going when you die?
Are you headed up to heaven, that home on high?
Are you making preparations for that meeting in the sky?
Oh, my brother where ya headed?
Where ya going, where ya going when your die?
I'm guessing that few folks reading this blog would have ever heard these lines actually sung in a worship service, but they comprise the refrain to a Southern Gospel song that was a huge favorite in the congregation of my youth.
This refrain actually summarizes a good portion of the preaching I remember from those days: the glorious gift of the "here and now" life was presented as little more than a staging area for the next one (which would begin immediately upon one's death). The individual is given two choices of where to spend "eternity". There's no opting out of the choice. If one fails to make the choice toward "the home on high" in this life, then the default setting is to "go below" (to the fires of hell) in the next one.
The song presents a classic "three story" cosmology with heaven (eternal bliss) above, hell (eternal suffering) below and this life sandwiched between the two as the singular opportunity for human beings to accept or reject God. Even though I was assured that God did not "desire the death of sinners", I recall many sermons where the preacher could describe the fate of the damned with such specificity that one might think he had toured hell personally as research.
Heaven, on the other hand wasn't such a hot topic. Every now and then we would hear the preacher talk about "streets of gold, walls of jasper, gates of pearl" (characteristics of the"New Jerusalem" in the book of Revelation). We would be reminded that in heaven there would be no more separation from loved ones and that we would mostly keep ourselves occupied with worship services. But we were usually cautioned against "being so heavenly minded we were no earthly good."
To be of some "earthly good" meant that "believers" like us were to be actively engaged in evangelistic activities to rescue the souls of all the poor, unaware sinners from perdition. The "sinner" first had to be convinced that she/he was headed straight to hell simply by virtue of being born. As an added incentive for us to get out and witness, we were reminded that if we had the opportunity to share this Good News with an "unbeliever" and didn't, then we bore a portion of the blame for their damnation...because there's always plenty of guilt to go around!
My purpose in describing this particular understanding of salvation is to remind myself of how infrequently we Episcopalians speak specifically of God's saving work in Christ at all. We say the words, "for us and for our salvation, he (the Son) came down from heaven" each week at the recitation of the Nicene Creed, but we rarely talk about what those words might mean. I wish we would. We might discover that we have Good News to share that is more than "fire insurance".
posted by FrGaryB | 5:12 AM
3 Comments:
I just could not pass this post up. I have been back and reread a couple of times, and to see if there were any comments yet. 3 and a half days later and no action. I find that in itself sort of telling.
I think on this some what frequently. I meet weekly with 3 other men to do our best to hold each other up and hopefully accountable. For months now we have been stuck on one word. It rears its beautiful head every week for us and is trying to become sort of a personal motto for some of us.
"Unhindered"
I could find sermon material for a couple of weeks in just that one word. It also lends itself well to what you (Fr. Gary) said "how infrequently we Episcopalians speak specifically of God's saving work in Christ at all".
Do I search out opportunities to share the joy of saving grace or do I wait for some one to come to me..."hey, hey you. I could not help noticing how friendly you are and the occasional smile you have on your mug. What’s up with all that??" Some how I don't think that is the best way. But then any other way would really require me to step outside of my comfort zone and be unhindered.
I to wish we would here more about the gift of salvation, but a little bit of fire prevention is not a bad thin these days. By no means do I desire nothing but fire and brimstone preaching, but to simply ignore the other not so nice side of the coin is essential.
Hey Brad, thanks for "going there" on this one - and thanks for saying what you did. I know that I have read it several times myself, thought of what I might want to say, then gotten really hesitant about it.
I would say more at this point, but I was at the ER all evening with that wonderful plague of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, a kidney stone. (Augh...) But again, thanks for throwing your hat in the ring.
"Unhindered"...I like it!
Brad, I would agree that we can't simply focus on the warm fuzzies of salvation.
But I think the reason salvation is often presented as a warm fuzzy is because we've become overly-familiar with the Holy One. We forget that salvation is not an "accessory"...a helpful add-on to an already full life. God's salvation is transformative...it will turn our understanding of the world upside down and inside out.
There's a frightening aspect of having our lives overhauled by something other than our own desires...Salvation is all encompassing. Salvation is not simply a minor remodeling of what existed before ("If any one is in Christ, NEW CREATION!" 2 Cor. 5:17).
I think there's a reason why the first words spoken to people who are having a "God encounter" in Scripture is so often, "Fear not..."
Every now and then I need to be reminded that to be consumed in the fire of God's Divine Mercy is every bit as unsettling as the potential of withering in the heat of God's Divine Judgment.
Post a Comment
<< Home