CONNECTION/NETWORK
Early
in Scripture we read of the Almighty looking for His walking-buddies in the
Garden. But, they are hiding from
Him. Separation has become a new reality
because of sin. Fear results. Blame begins.
The man, Adam, uses his woman, Eve, to dodge the bullet of guilt,
unsuccessfully. The Garden gate is
locked shut, with the sinful pair outside, alone, to face a dark, cold, fallen
world. Gone are the intimate, relaxing,
enjoyable strolls with the Creator.
A
“hermit” is an oddball, an unnatural oddity.
We want and need “connection” and “network”. Modern man has the “world wide web”
connecting him as never before and widening the gulf at the same time. We text instead of talking. We surf instead of stroll with lovers, or sit
with friends. Somewhere inside, deep
within, we long to get back to what we lost in Eden.
Many a
Bible text references man’s desire to “see God”
-- to regain that face-time with
our Father. An old hymn embodies that
yearning – “I come to the garden alone … and He walks with me; and He talks
with me …” – reviving the memory of our first parents’ fellowship with Him!
We find
“connection”, with family – up the stream of time with parents, down the stream
with children; around us in this space-time continuum are siblings, even
cousins. And there are “others” –
friends, college buddies, frat brothers, clubs we join, organizations to which
we belong and within which we form bonds.
We look
for lost identity in ethnic and national roots – “German” “Irish”
“Scottish” … “Vikings”?! But,
sometimes, this becomes something ugly and dark, creating division –
“NAZI” “ISIS”. (or, a new one – PEGIDA: Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the
Occident: PEGIDA: Patriotische
Europäer Gegen Die Islamisierung des Abendlandes).
Or, we
might find “connection” in our religion – I think of the Muslim-Hindu partition
of India into Pakistan. On a smaller
scale, the Baptists and the _________ bicker and bite, devouring one
another. If we were truly drawing nearer
to God, then we would be drawing nearer to each other?!
In the
hours before His Crucifixion, the Savior pleaded with Heaven – “… one, as we
are one…” – for the “connection”, the unity, the fellowship, the comradery of
his followers, both those who walked with Him, and for all of us, centuries
later! His apostle, Paul, echoed these
sentiments in writings to the divided, divisive Corinthian believers. He says they are acting like babies. They needed to grow up. They needed to put their arms around each
other instead of holding others at “arm’s length”. (with creedal orthodoxy?!)
But, we
continue to separate, even as we seek to be “IN” – A “band of brothers” kills
an enemy they do not even know. Unions
are formed for the common good of workers, but selfishness still reigns, not
altruism. “Royals” elevate themselves,
trying to escape the cold darkness, and trample upon the “commoners” as only so
many foot stones. Harry Potter had the “Muggles”! India had the caste system. The South had Jim Crow. We just can’t seem to get back to Eden?!
In
family we can sometimes see a glimmer of Heaven. The Book says “children are a reward … a
heritage from the Lord…” We are taught
to pray “our Father…” seeing God as our protector and provider and parent. How many times has a soldier’s last words on
his lips been “mother…” as he releases his grip on this world and turns to his
Father?!
There is
another “connection”, even deeper, that foreshadows Paradise regained. Innumerable is the group of fallen soldiers,
with “her” picture in their pocket, or hand, who murmured with their last
breath, “…tell her that I love her…” In
the Garden, before sin spawned separation, God noted, “it is not good for man
to be alone….” And the man named her “Eve”! exclaiming, “… at last, flesh of my
flesh, bone of my bone… woman…” In family,
we have “connections” up, down, out – but, at the core, at the center, at the
heart, there is ones “mate” – the one we call “spouse”! There is “knowledge” there in a cold, dark
world like no light since Eden, and like none until Heaven. Truly blessed is one who finds his mate in
this sin-cursed, blighted, fallen world.
He is not “alone”. They are “BFF’s”! They have “connection”.
In
college, we had a secret society, the AIFAM! (mafia, spelled backwards) That sounded way cooler than JMSB. (the
initials of the four founders) But, we
left that behind, decades ago. We became
J&M, M&W, S&L, B&J. Adam
had his Eve. Romeo had his Juliet. Jerry has his Melanie. One man – one woman – for life! This is a picture of Heaven, Paradise
Regained! (I recently saw the CELS on
FB, who will, no doubt, move on to C&?, E&?, L&S, S&? – some of
them already have!)
I have
seen, at a couple of weddings, a ring-blessing ceremony. It is rare, because rarely is it possible, in
our times. Four grandfathers, each
married 50+ years, joined hands over the rings of their grandchildren, soon to
be united as husband and wife, and together prayed for God’s blessing on those
who were to wear those bands of gold.
Over 200 years of successful marital harmony were represented in that
circle of men! Their wives smiled upon
this from their seats. May it not be so
rare!
Hell is
darkness, isolation, pain, separation, ALONE.
C.S. Lewis wrote of “The Great Divorce”?! The images of anxious aloneness in “What
Dreams May Come” are hauntingly frightening.
The Rich Man begged for Lazarus to warn his brothers!
We live
in a fallen world. A solo martin
returned to our martin box with the other purple martin pairs, for years. It was a yearly reminder of a little boy’s
sin. He was a good shot with a rifle and
took out the other one, in flight!
Wow! No, SAD. But, such is the world in which we
struggle. I sometimes think of my “chick”
and our flight as “two sparrows in a hurricane”. So far we have evaded and avoided cats and
impish boys, thank the Lord. But, I can
barely wait for Heaven, since it will only be a better “connection”!
But,
there is a spiritual reunion within reach.
We are “the bride of Christ”. The
Holy Spirit of God takes up residence in our heart?! Wow!
Back to Eden. Our fellowships
should spark this?! Let’s not forsake
them? Eternal-life is light, fellowship,
full-awareness, “aha!!” The “connection”,
long ago lost, will be revived. Facetime
with the Creator will be available for all, forever and always. “…but we know that, when he shall appear, we
shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” John writes! As Jesus said, “… there are many rooms in my
Father’s house…” And, we can each have a
deluxe suite! As Audio Adrenaline (Big
House) sings, “It's a big, big house with lots and lots a room; A big, big table with lots and lots of food; A
big, big yard where we can play football; A big, big house it's my Father’s
house” My wife commented on the PBS
series, “Downton Abbey”, that “they sure do eat in a lot of scenes…” as we
watched yet another formal dining room scene with all the crystal, silverware … But, you must know that we are going to the
Wedding Feast of the Lamb! D.A. doesn’t
have anything on that! I’m not too much
on formal dining; but, I do like gathering the family around the dinner table,
laughing and feasting. And, I do NOT
like eating alone. Let’s plan on meeting
there?!
