The gospel is a concept that for me is like believing in a chair.
You put your whole self into that chair when you sit down. You relax. And through that support, you’re free to go about your business.
The gospel is also a concept of power. Power over death. Power over the inevitable.
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“In Christ Alone”
In Christ Alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
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And also the transforming power over that part of yourself that you’re willing to concede to be transformed. That may be everything or not so much.
The gospel is not magic i.e. a mystical energy that flows through everything.
It is not a prayer or a sermon offered up in the quiet of your bedroom or from a pulpit in church.
The gospel is an idea that for me is tantamount to being able to think long term – both forwards and backwards. And also being able to see yourself as both an individual who’s one of billions and one of a kind.
You become struck by the individual hours and ultimate days of your life leading towards the inevitable. And your influence (and vice-versa) through interconnections here and there and everywhere.
So, you’re struck and end up sitting down in this chair as you come to grips with the truth.
But, there’s this button. This button that’s inside your heart. That transforming power brings it to light. And some of you push it.
And then the floor drops out from under the chair and you hold on for dear life as you free fall.
