Page 12 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 17
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In  other  words,  culture  and  pleasure  ori-   Frankfurt (2005) articulates a core issue in
             ent their lived experience. In 2 Corinthians      our social milieu that reinforces our orien-
             chapters 3 through 5, Paul is encouraging         tation to Horizon 1:
             these  maturing  Christians  by  contextua-       The realms of advertising and public rela-
             lizing  Horizons  1  through  3.  Paul  frames    tions,  and  the  nowadays  closely  related
             Horizon 2, a communal life, using the term        realm of politics, are replete with instances
             “we”,  and  “boasting”  in  one  another  as      of [distortion] so unmitigated that they can
             they serve as “ambassadors” for God. Paul         serve  among  the  most  indisputable  and
             recons with Horizon 1 noting the “wasting         classic paradigms of the concept [of distor-
             away” of self, and being “afflicted, carrying     tion].
             in the body”. Yet Paul frames Horizon 1 and       And  in  these  realms  there  are  exquisite-
             2 within Horizon 3, “as we look not to the        ly sophisticated craftsmen who – with the
             things that are seen”, “for the love of Christ    help of advanced and demanding techno-
             controls us”. One key verse holds all three       logy of market research, of public opinion
             Horizons in tension: “For if we are beside        polling, of psychological testing, and so for-
             ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right   th – dedicate themselves tirelessly to get-
             mind, it is for you” (2 Cor. 5:13). Redempti-     ting  every  word  and  image  they  produce
             ve historical living requires the interwoven      exactly right. (p. 22-23)
             tension of Horizons 1 through 3, and this
             can help us with moment-to-moment loss,           Western culture is saturated with attempts
             grief, and joy.                                   to make us believe Horizon 1 (our self) is
             Critically,  Horizon  3  includes  a  right  per-  to be perpetually satisfied. Crawford (2015)
             spective  of  both,  creation  and  fall  in  the   refers to these sophisticated crafts persons
             Bible’s redemptive story arc. The purpose         as “Choice  Architects”, tirelessly  extorting
             of  our  lives,  and  the  enjoyment  of  fresh   our  attention,  and  manipulating  what  we
             dandelions,  fellowship,  food,  and  other       internalize  as  a  “good  life”  for  economic
             pleasures is to glorify God as each gift ex-      gain.
             perientially demonstrates and reflects His        No  matter  our  orientation  to  life,  lament
             glory (Is 43:7, Is 6:3, Ps 19:1). We are made     and grief still provides orientation to those
             to glorify God through the acts of daily life,    who dare listen. These visceral experiences
             corporate worship, experiencing the beau-         expose  our  affections,  and  subsequently
             ty of creation, and being oriented towards        what we value. As the dandelion moments
             the day of consummation. But, within re-          pass, or are cut short and we feel loss and
             demptive history, the fall is present, and we     pain, we can ask “what did I really long to
             await the next chapter (Gen 3, Rev 21:4).         enjoy?” This question peels back our eyes
             Therefore, we must expect (as did Paul with       from the “good life” constructed by “Choice
             the Corinthians) that loss will occur, even       Architects” and culture, allowing us to in-
             while God’s glorious creation is still expe-      vestigate  the  longings  God  has  situated
             rienced.  The  hope  of  the  Christian  life  is   within the Imago Dei. We are signaled by
             felt in the present and sustains us through       feelings of loss and pain (Horizon 1), and
             trials (2 Cor 4:17-18). When we situate life      simultaneously, when we are saturated in
             within  this  redemptive  historical  Horizon,    the Kingdom (Horizon 3) we may become
             both loss and joy, are expected and provide       aware  of  the  joy  intended  (Horizon  1+3).
             meaning and sustenance.                           Psalm 126:6 beautifully exposes the tensi-
                                                               on of loss and joy:
             The Application of Horizons of Significance               He who goes out weeping,
             Let us turn to the clients in our clinical prac-          bearing the seed for sowing,
             tice. Many are oriented to Horizon 1 (the                 shall come home with shouts of joy,
             self), in such a way that the sustenance of               bringing his sheaves with him.
             redemptive  history  is  rarely  experienced.     Great tension exists between cultural pres-



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