Ultimate Bucket List Item
“So daily dying to the way of self, so daily living in your way of love, we walk the road, Lord Jesus, that you trod, knowing ourselves baptized into your death; so we are dead and live with you in God.” Verse #2 from ELW #321- “Eternal Lord of Love, Behold Your Church”
Mark Zuckerberg and his Facebook team work diligently to keep me aware of important current events. Have you heard about Mars One yet? To quote from their website, “Mars One is a not-for-profit foundation that will establish a permanent human settlement on Mars.” Seriously, folks, I am not making this up! Check out their website at http://www.mars-one.com/ for specifics. I feel the word “permanent” is a bit optimistic but I agree it sounds more intriguing in a sales brochure than the word “ongoing”.
Many people these days have a Bucket List, a trendy check sheet of things they want to do before they die. Despite the potential ethical dilemma of this “one-way trip to Mars” (i.e. there is no current or planned return mechanism) it might just be the ultimate (as in final) bucket list item! Lent is probably the ideal time to perform an annual review of such as list! Maybe a glass of wine and some Cat Stevens singing “Oh Very Young” to set the mood? Oh mortal body, you are dust and to dust you shall return. Hmmmm…perhaps a bit too melancholy?
Now I do not want to offend my Hindu, Buddhist, Manichean, or Gnostic friends but as the popular saying goes, “You Only Live Once” [YOLO]. I made a brief reference to this acronym in a prior e-votion, but I’d like to explore this idea further. What does this expression mean beyond its often flippant use in hipster conversations?
I was initially put off by this expression. I immediately viewed it in a negative light, as yet another reincarnation of the classic expression “Carpe Diem” (Seize the Day); an excuse to act in a very self-centered and individualistic way. But, as often is the case, initial reactions trigger ripples in my mind that uncover different perspectives. What could it mean to “live just once”?
Perhaps YOLO is a watchman’s alarm cry trying to rouse us from our complacency. Perhaps it is that voice in the wilderness calling, “Prepare the way for the Lord”. Maybe that expression means something completely different to that AmeriCorps volunteer or the supporter at a rally for social justice. What would a Bucket List look like if it included items such as these:
- Help serve a meal at a homeless shelter
- Organize a fund drive to support the 10,000 Wells project
- Donate a coat to a winter clothing drive
- Spend a day working on a Habitat for Humanity home
- Volunteer your time at the Community Health Free Clinic
- Write an article for the Messenger on opportunities to support Linn County Jail Ministry
After all, if you only live once, what is our personal and congregational mission in this world?
Matthew 25:35-36 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Yours in Christ!
David Krueger