New Being

  In Galatians 6:15 Paul writes, "For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." Paul appears to be speaking directly into the social, political, religious, and secular constructs of his day. The message is clear, none of it matters, but only a new creation. Paul suggests that we should not concern ourselves over Christian religion, the state of our churches, about membership and doctrines, institutions and ministers, sermons and sacraments. All of it is circumcision; and everything else in this world is uncircumcision. Paul says that both are nothing, of no importance, if the ultimate question is asked, the question of a new creation. 

   Paul Tillich suggests, "The New Being is not something that simply takes the place of the Old Being. But it is a renewal of the Old which has been corrupted, distorted, split and almost destroyed. But not wholly destroyed. Salvation does not destroy creation; but it transforms the Old Creation into a new one" (The New Being p20). Reconciliation is the process of the old becoming new. Are we participating in it? The message of Christianity is not Christianity, but a new creation. We are the privileged sons and daughters of Christ who have been invited into this life. Accept it, enter into it, let it grasp you. 

 

A Pilgrim Motif

A “pilgrim” is a person who is on a spiritual journey toward enlightenment, discovery, and the pursuit of God. When one thinks of a journey we think of someone who is on the move. Movement, however, does not always mean that we are making progress or actually getting somewhere. We can walk on a treadmill for thirty minutes and still be in the same place where we started. We can do laps on a track and just be going around in circles. 

The “pilgrim” does not wander aimless about, but travels with purpose and destination in mind. In The Pilgrim’s Progress, Till We Have Faces, and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek the main characters are on a journey, a journey that leads them to self-discovery and transformation.

The Pilgrim’s Progress demonstrates that knowledge is gained through travel by portraying Christian and his companions learning from their mistakes on their journey to the Celestial City. Pilgrimage depends on travel, and so a pilgrim must be a voyager prepared to go the distance to discover what they seek. Yet in Bunyan’s book, the voyage in-and-of-itself does not make a traveler a pilgrim. The pilgrim must advance spiritually as he or she advances geographically. The key factor is knowledge, which must increase as the pilgrim proceeds forward. Christian never makes the same mistake twice or meets the same foe twice, because he learns from his experiences. Once he experiences the Slough of Despond, he never needs to be despondent again. Other pilgrims on the journey who lack similar understanding may advance a considerable distance, like Heedless and Too-bold, who almost get to the Celestial City; however, they do not understand what they undergo and fall short in reaching the desired destination.

In Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis tells the story of Orual and her journey of unveiling herself to discover her true identity. Orual’s pilgrimage takes her into self-revelatory actions, and the long process of the taking and then the divinely stimulated removing of her veil. When Orual makes her complaints against the gods, the only thing the judge says to her is, “Are you answered?” “Yes,” she replies (293). Her answer was in no answer at all. What Orual discovers through this process is that her case is refuted not by reason, but by the very nature of the divine. In the unveiling of this nature Orual comes to grips with her own cruelty and selfish love. It is not until Orual accepts herself, until she has a face, that the mystery of the gods is revealed. “How can they meet us face to face till we have faces” (294).

 The narrator, in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, discovers God’s grace in its purest form as she explores the creek in her backyard. She says, “So many things have been shown me on these banks, so much light has illumined me by reflection here where the water comes down . . .” (69). With these words, Annie Dillard makes it very clear how valuable Tinker Creek is to her. It serves as the setting for her journal, her environment for observation, her living, breathing, interactive fish bowl, or Mason jar, if you will. Dillard assigns a strong symbolic role to the stream. It is down at the creek that she becomes a seeker, a “stalker” after moments of vision, possession and yielding. Dillard envisions God not as “out there,” but rather as perceived among us through the proper angle of vision. Seeing from such an angle opens a person to suffering, de-centering and feeling lost and dispossessed. In Dillard’s pilgrimage one can see the awful inner tension between wanting to control and wanting to let go.

Clearly from these examples one can see that a pilgrim’s journey always involves some form of self-discovery and transformation as God’s true character is revealed. When we discover the divine, whether it is through nature, our own identity, or in some knowledge gained on the pilgrimage, it will ruin us in a sense as it literally transforms us into the people we are designed to be. And that’s what it means to be a pilgrim.