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In the beyond, in the dream, on the mountaintop, in the joy made flesh—not in the flesh still longing—is where I want to dwell. I long to be in the “new heavens and a new earth” where “former things shall not be remembered or come to mind,” as Isaiah puts it. Give me that. Give me all manner of things that shall be well, so well that even “the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust!”

When I’m listening to Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter sing “Storms Never Last,” I wonder if I’m also hearing what Job, and even Jesus in Luke 20, would want to sing.

"I’m bigger than you are!” Here comes the playground taunt and its implied claim for absolute superiority. Never mind that several classmates are better at kickball or smarter in the classroom, or know how to care for younger siblings, or play the trumpet with exquisite skill. The ultimate measure has been applied and others are found wanting. Fast-forward a few years and the words might change, but not their inherent message: I make more money or drive a better car. I attend the biggest church in town or work harder, get better grades or live in a nicer neighborhood.

Not long ago the local newspaper carried a story about a young couple traveling to visit relatives in a neighboring state. Having parked along the side of the road so the woman could nurse their baby, the man stretched his legs and admired the view of the river and a nearby bridge. Within minutes a state patrol car stopped to check out the scene. Running the man’s name through the police database, the officer discovered a match with someone on a terrorist watch list; within minutes the man was in cuffs and his family detained.

Some years ago I worked in central London with an organization that reached out to people living on the streets. For most, all we could offer was food, clean clothes and a listening ear, but every now and then we met someone who wanted to find a new life. We ran a halfway house with a simple rule of life where a few people at a time could relearn how to live indoors. Such a change is not easy; a few who came to live with us managed the long, difficult process of reintegration, but more than half gave up and returned to life on the streets.

This year in Great Britain we marked the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. The media have been full of documentaries and reflections, books have been published, plays performed and the movie Amazing Grace released. The story of Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce has been celebrated for the justice they achieved, but it has also highlighted the fact that other forms of slavery continue to this day.