What is the Meaning of Life?

During the summer, I have been choosing sermon topics out of a box that have been suggested by people in the congregation.  Last week, the topic chosen was “What is the Meaning of Life?’

My first thought was, “Seriously? Really?” Either someone thinks a lot more of me than they should or they’re pulling my leg. How do I answer a question like that, a question that has been asked throughout the ages and asked of much wiser people than I?

Then, after church, someone talked to me about my sermon that morning, which was about what music is appropriate for worship. In summary, I basically said that any style of music is appropriate if it praises God and encourages us to love our neighbour. This person asked me about his favourite band, Iron Maiden. Could their music be appropriate? I hesitated.  I wasn’t sure. So this person went home and found an Iron Maiden song called, “For the Greater Good of God” and sent me the lyrics. Serendipitously, the lyrics to this song inspired my sermon this week about the meaning of life.

Iron Maiden is a heavy metal band from England.  You decide if you would like to hear the song or just read the lyrics.

The meaning of life will be different for each and every person. We all have to come to our own conclusions and that’s why this question is difficult to answer. I do believe though that our faith and the bible offer us some direction on this meaning. I believe that the whole bible pushes the idea of creating a heaven on earth. From the very beginning of the bible, we have two people living in Eden, a kind of heaven on earth, but as we progress through the stories of the bible, humanity seems to move farther and farther from this Eden. The bible and our history books carry stories of jealousy, competitiveness, greed, and thirst for power that bring about murder, war, and all kinds of violence. Unfortunately, much of this has been carried out in the name of god, not just the Christian god, but Christians have carried a lot of power for the past 2000 years, so the damage has been that much more.

Steve Harris expresses this in his song for Iron Maiden. There is a repeated chorus that goes like this: “Please tell me now what life is. Please tell me now what love is. Well tell me

now what war is. Again tell me what life is.” Throughout the song, the violence of the world is questioned and he questions the presence of this almighty god. He writes, “They fire off many shots and many parting blows. Their actions beyond a reasoning, Only God would know. And as he lies in heaven Or it could be in hell, I feel he's somewhere here, Or looking from below, But I don't know, I don't know.” Iron Maiden is often accused of being a satanic band, but I hear someone who is struggling with a god and those that follow this god that would allow, and even cause, the pain and suffering of the world to happen.

“Please tell me what life is,” he cries out. What is the meaning of all this violence, war, innocent people suffering and dying? Amidst the carnage, amidst the bloodshed, what really is the meaning of this life?

Many have attempted to answer this question, including the prophets of our bible. The prophet Micah spoke some of the most well-known verses of the bible about, of a future where all nations will come together and:

they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war any more;

but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,

and no one shall make them afraid. (Micah 4:3b-4b)

This is a vision of ‘shalom,’ of peace on earth. Is it only a vision though, a pipe dream?

And then from the Christian scriptures, from the book of 21st chapter of Revelation, we have another grand vision, not of people going up to heaven but of heaven coming down to earth, of God making a home among mortals. God with us; not us with God. It makes a difference. We are not meant to all go to heaven but for heaven to come to earth. Death will be no more, mourning and crying will be no more. It’s a new heaven and a new earth. All things will be made new.

I believe this is the direction our bible is taking us. Yes, there are some horrific stories of humanity in that book, just as there are in our history books, but I believe the bible and history are moving us, pushing us towards a just and merciful world, if we would but listen and learn.

Every Sunday, we recite the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. Every Sunday, we say,

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” People have been reciting this for 2000 years, but, unfortunately, there have been too many people working against this vision and doing it in the name of God. I think this is what Steve Harris from Iron Maiden is critiquing.

He ends his song with, “He gave his life for us. He fell upon the cross, to die for all of those who never mourn his loss. It wasn't meant for us to feel the pain again, tell me why, tell me why.”

2000 years later, we are still struggling to know the meaning of Jesus’ life, much less all life. What did Jesus die for? Steve Harris seems to wonder out loud if it was in vain. Has anything changed? He was put on a cross by an empire that was threatened by his teachings and his wisdom, threatened by the number of people who followed him. Only a few hundred years later, Christians were doing the same thing, silencing people that threatened them, ruthlessly gaining power, becoming more political than spiritual.

As Christians, I think we have to work doubly hard at promoting and advocating for peace, partly because we have to make amends for the hurt the church has caused over the years.

Maybe, as Christians, if our meaning of life could be to bring heaven to earth, to beat swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks, the visions of the past, of the prophets, might be realized. We might bring about a new beginning to humanity, a new heaven and a new earth, bring us back to Eden, when God walked on the earth, amidst humanity, and where the death of Jesus was not in vain, but actually helped create a new heaven and a new earth. Pipe dream or a hopeful future if we work towards it?

In the meantime, we continue to wonder about the meaning of life in sermons, in books, in song. We ask questions. We push back against the norm, against the status quo. We read the bible and find new interpretations that help us to grow in our faith and love our neighbour and our enemies. It’s only a start but we can get the ball rolling, rolling towards that beautiful vision, where every tear is wiped away, death is no more; mourning and crying and pain is no more, for the first things have passed away.” May it be so.  Amen.