Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Eviction Notice

We were served an eviction notice a long time ago. The world, as we know it, is not our home. Its hard to recognize it sometimes, but in other situations it is painstakingly clear... I am a nomad - a vagabond - roaming through existence with an intrinsic sense that there is more to this life. We've known it since birth:


"We were born into a world, into a condition, of disconnection. Things were created to be a certain way, and they're not that way, and we feel it in every fiber of our being. Is this why the first thing newborns do is cry?"
- Sex God by Rob Bell

My body was sheltered in a perfectly serene place where God's way rules. We were in the womb of creation. Always nurtured with everything we needed at our disposal. Since the first time man tasted the fruit of the vine, our eyes have been open to the painful labor and birth from our sanctuary, our safe-haven. The sheltering, protective love of God is gone. Our aborted fate has been redeemed but now we know of (and are susceptible to) disease, death, destruction and pain. The air of this world suddenly is not as fresh. As Dr. Shuch writes:


"I was not so much evicted
From the Garden of Eden
As led out unceremoniously,
By the nose.
For it wasn't seeking knowledge
Which led me to the tree
But rather the aroma of the fruit
Which can only be described as, well, fruity.
That aroma proved to be mankind's undoing.
When I'd tasted of this fruit,
The Almighty, as is written,
With a mighty hand and outstretched arm
Afflicted me with allergy of inhalants.
It was the garden's blossoms,
All the flowers, trees, and shrubs,
Not the wrath of the Creator,"



With that, in an instant, the air is lacking its essence... the very pleasant aroma of the flowers brings me to pain. The weather is never quite right. The Earth and mankind groan in a dissident harmony with postpartum depression.

I'm still longing for the time spent with God in the cool of the day with no stress, no job, no bills to pay... Just a simple call to love God, to love one another and to be the care-taker of creation. It is longing that inspires me to change, to draw attention to the eviction notice... to announce to the world that we are the prodigal sons & daughters of the universe and there is a better life out there. Our Father is waiting to welcome us home with jubilation and open arms

(Inspired by a post on churchinverted.com)

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