Civilization is only a pretense; in the crisis, we become mere apes again, forgetting the rational biped of our pretensions and becoming instead the hairy primate at the mouth of the cave, screeching at the enemy, wishing it would go away, fingering the heavy stone that we’ll use the moment it comes close enough.
Joy, love, freedom, happiness, laughter. That’s what it is. And if you just experience joy sitting there and meditating for an hour, by golly, do that.
The good news of the gospel is that God has poured out on Jesus the wrath that we deserve, so that we may not perish. The death and resurrection of Jesus give us every reason to hope in the mercy of God!
Love is the greatest and most excellent thing we are masters of and therefore it is folly and baseness to bestow it unworthily. It is indeed the only thing we can call our own: other things may be taken from us by violence, but none can ravish our love.
