Essay #2 Salvation: A Planet Earth Condition (12-30-24)
“Restore me to the joy of your salvation…” Psalm 51:12
New Hope Lutheran, Interim Pastor, Jeff Swanson. 30 Dec 24
All life on Planet Earth seeks salvation. “Salvation” can be defined as “Deliverance from some less than desirable circumstance.”
Two examples:
- Plants seek salvation. Leaves wither, turn, and find salvation in shade. If more sun is needed for photosynthesis, leaves turn toward sunshine. Roots grow toward saving water.
- If squirrels face a long cold winter, without fresh acorns, they save acorns for the winter.
Humans seek temporal salvation in basically three ways.
- We save ourselves. IE: Seat belts, nutritious food, and locking our doors at night!
- We look to others to save us. IE: We establish police, firefighters, first responders, military and other officials to save life and limb. We look to humans like Dr Jonas Salk, who developed the Polio Vaccine in 1954, to save millions from paralysis and death.
- We seek salvation via social and psychological equilibrium. IE: Seeking peaceful and collaborative relationships … social contracts like law and order to save us from chaos.
Psychologically, in close communities such as families, neighborhoods, groups … we seek security and wellbeing of personal belonging; thus saved from rejection and isolation.
We’re hardwired to seek salvation. Enter spiritual salvation dynamics:
To save our nation, groups, and families from chaos, we engage the spiritual dynamic of “trust.” We present ourselves as trustworthy and expect the same of others. Example: driving in law abiding, safe, manners. Trust and other spiritual dynamics such as accountability and compassion are necessary to social wellbeing, including life sustaining safety.
To psychologically sustain relationships there must be forgiveness, peaceful mindsets, collaboration, commitment, and more spiritual dynamics to fuel mindsets of wellbeing. If spiritual dynamics falter in close relationships, we seek salvation via course corrections of words and behaviors … fast! Or submit to misery. Or separate from threats to salvation.
Of all critters, humans entertain questions like; “From whence we come and to wither we go?” “What are meanings of life?” “Is salvation of life and consciousness eternal?” Religions grapple with salvation questions; thus religions can bolster human relationships and psychology with hope, love, trust, stewardship of the environment. Or (Yikes!) squander salvation grappling opportunities by distracting behaviors, such as abuse of power and greed.
Some Christians join with other faith perspectives and entertain the notion that the cosmos and all therein is a precious gift from God. Revealed. Bestowed. Expressed by the essence of all time and space. And resides, via God’s love, in each one of us. We’re precious.
Enter the Christian message that some of us grapple with: We are so precious, that even God personally enters our experience, gives us salvation resources in this life, and sets us into motion via the ultimate spiritual energy … Grace … to ride the math wave of all time and space. … for eternity. The name “Jesus” means savior.
Salvation means that we’re ALL beloved. And called, trusted, to speak and act accordingly.