I Wonder as I Wander

Right now on channel 45 there is a portly, well-dressed preacher pacing behind an expensive glass podium in a church building that is more of a Ryman Auditorium than a sanctuary. Stretched behind him is a massive mural with vivid images and words under each: "marriage Covenant", "Salt Covenant", "Blood Covenant" and "Israel Covenant." He tells the congregation (or is it just an audience?) that these are the subjects of the sermons he will be preaching over the next few weeks. He wears a bright yellow tie with an elegantly matching handkerchief, and as he speaks he gestures forcefully with his arms. From what I've listened to before deciding I've heard enough, this preacher is proclaiming that America was also founded on a covenant, and he mentions the Mayflower and the founders of America who he no doubt believes were all "good Christian men." He tells his hearers that God has blessed America more than any nation in the world and, as the Bible reads, God promises to continue doing so if America abides within the laws of this covenant. Unfortunately, the preacher goes on to lament that America is rejecting this covenant. His first example is that America has thrown out the Ten Commandments from the schools. He describes the breakdown in families. He mentions climbing divorce rates and something about Britney Spears which I think is meant to be well-placed humorous jab in the sermon ...

He, and I'm sure many people in the pews before him, are so very, very sure they are Christians. They are certain that they are heavenbound.
_______

It is a wonder we are alive at all, let alone have a God who loves us no matter who we are, what we do, or what we say.

Over this next week, I am going to be writing reflectively about salvation. Specifically, I am going to be mulling over the question of just who is saved, and how exactly does one become saved. Is it by simply saying (or reading or repeating) a prayer? Is there another way besides praying? Do "works" really have nothing to do with it? Do only the Christians get in?

I've wrestled with whether or not this is a subject I want to introduce to my blog - I'd much rather dwell on the lighter side of life, and leave controversy on the sidelines. However, I remember that I started this blog as a personal exercise to reflect on the wonders of God and the joy of life. I wanted to have a place where I could offer my meager comments on this beautiful story of redemption we all exist in, whether we have realized it or not. And I cannot imagine anything more integral to this story than the very rhythm of salvation itself. If it is a grand redemption we are meant to find, how then do we find it, and what does one have to do, essentially, to experience it?

I hope you who read this blog - there cannot be many of you - will be merciful with my wanderings. I also hope you will offer as many comments as possible. I don't plan to stumble upon any clear-cut answers, but reading what others think is one way for us all to sharpen our eyes and strengthen our limbs for the journey.

So, what do you think is essential for a person to find salvation - for a person to go to heaven? Or what have you always learned regarding such a question? This will be the first thought on which I'll post in a few days ...