In the beginning, was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him, nothing came to be.
In the middle of this past year, as I pondered my life and meaning in retirement, I returned to T.S. Eliot and Burnt Norton, the first of his Four Quartets:
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
What might have been is an abstraction
Remaining a perpetual possibility
Only in a world of speculation.
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
As creatures of time we know we have a future but we do not know the future. We know only the past and if we predict the future we only suppose what has happened must happen again. The sun will rise, the sun will set.
On the last day of the year, we sing, "Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind...." And then we realize we have, despite our best efforts, little knowledge of the past. Sadly we forget most of it as we plunge onward toward an uncertain future.
We cling to words and traditions like children walking between their parents, holding hands with both, and confident that so long as we hold on we shall not be lost.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
We are redeemed in time by an incident in the past whose meaning is still unfolding. We are redeemed by remembering that incident and persistently telling our children and loved ones about it. It is more important than the day I was born; and I remember it more clearly than anything else I've ever suffered or enjoyed. It is the most important story I can tell because my particular story means nothing without it.
Those who forget this story lose their way in this world. They have no road that leads beyond the horizon, and can see nothing more than the threat of annihilation or the possibility of survival. For many their best hope is that their children might remember them for a while. Does anyone remember their ancestors born two hundred years ago?
We know the Lord will remember us into eternity. In him all time is redeemable.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.