A New Way To Be Human
I was talking to my son Aaron the other day (the one on the right) about Switchfoot. I’ve recently got into their music through their latest album Oh! Gravity. Aaron’s reply was something like, Yeah, dad, wake up and smell the contemporary. Then he mentioned that I might like one of their old (1999) albums — New Way To Be Human. As soon as he said, new way to be human, I thought, what an awesome description of salvation. I made a mental note to explore this thought further and possibly preach on it.
A week later…
In preparation for FAITH X FIVE (Faith Life Weekend) I was reading some stuff by Maximus the Confessor, a seventh century theologian from Constantinople, and I stumbled upon this sentence from Max…
“Christ showed us an entirely new way of being human.”
Whoa! Coincidence or Godincidence?
Way back in the twentieth century Switchfoot was talking about a new way to be human. And way, way, way back in the seventh century Maximus the Confessor was talking about the same thing.
My expression for this theological concept has been that Jesus inaugurated a new branch of humanity. Same thing.
Here’s a thought I’ve had lately. If I could have an evening of conversation with one person from history (other than Jesus) I would pick the Apostle Paul (I sure hope he can speak English or it’s going to be a wasted wish) and I would begin the conversation by asking him this question:
What is salvation?
Now mind you, I’m not a novice and I do have some idea of what salvation is and I could even couch it in big fancy theological terms like soteriology. But that would be my question. What is salvation?
I know this much…it’s sure a whole lot more than a ticket to heaven when you die. I believe the Apostle Paul would be very satisfied with a new way to be human as a description of what salvation is (or at least what salvation does).
I went through a period of time several years ago where I would wake up in the middle the night with this question burning in my brain: When do we live? I think God was forcing me to reconsider my estimation of what salvation is. If salvation is primarily a ticket to heaven when you die, the answer to the question when do we live? would be, when we die. And that seems unsatisfactory. I think the answer to the question when do we live? can be answered this way:
We (really) live when we discover the new way to be human in Christ.
I have much more to say on this, but I think I’ll say it tomorrow during Friday Night Church. I hope to see you then…on line or in the pew.
Dylan line for the day:
I’m on the fringes of the night, fighting back tears that I can’t control
Some people they ain’t human, they got no heart or soul
Well, I’m crying to The Lord – I’m tryin’ to be meek and mild
Yes, I cried for you – now it’s your turn, you can cry awhile
Let’s be human the new way. The Jesus way.
Blessings,
BZ
PS
On New Way To Be Human Switchfoot give props to a couple of my biggest influences: Soren Kierkegaard and Saint Augustine. Check out these songs…
Sooner or Later (Soren’s Song)
Come back and haunt me
Follow me home
Give me a motive
Swallow me whole
They say I’ve lost it
What could I know
When I’m but a mockery?
I’m so alone
Sooner or later you’ll find out
There’s a hole in the wall
Today is ours condemned to be free
Free to keep breathing
Free to believe
I look to find you
Down on my knees
Oh God, I believe!
Please help me believe
Sooner or later they’ll find out
There’s a hole in the wall
Sooner or later you’ll find out
That you’ll dream to be that small
I’m a believer, help me believe
I gave it all away and lost who I am
I threw it all away
With everything to gain
And I’m taking the leap
With dreams of shrinking
Yeah, dreams of shrinking
Come back and haunt me
Follow me home
Give me a motive
Swallow me whole
Sooner or later
Something More (Augustine’s Confession)
Augustine
Just woke up with a broken heart
All this time
He’s never been awake before
At thirty-one
His whole world is a question mark
All this time
He’s never been awake before
Watching dreams that he once had
Feed the flames inside his head
In a quiet desperation of the emptiness inside
he says
“There’s gotta be something more
Than what I’m living for
I’m crying out to You”
Augustine
All his fears keep falling out
All this time
he’s never been awake before
Finding now
His old dreams aren’t panning out
All this time
He’s never been awake before
But he’s mad to be alive
And he’s dying to be met
In a quiet desperation of the emptiness inside
he says…
“Hey I give it all away
Nothing I was holding back remains
Hey, I give it all away
Looking for the grace of God today”