"Excerpts from Tom Smith-Myott Homily"
Sunday, September 24, 2000

This is a part of Tom Smith-Myott's homily on "Jesus and Salvation: New Metaphors" given on Sunday, September 24. The metaphors below come mostly from Marcus Borg's "The God We Never Knew".

II. New Metaphors for salvation

1. scripture: root meaning - being delivered, brought to safety, set free, restored
   • includes sense of being healed, made whole, coming to fullness of life
   • as Jesus said: "I have come that you may have life and have it to the full"
   • the name "Jesus" = "Yahweh saves"
   • through most of biblical history, no focus on afterlife - salvation happens in this life!
2. Jesus' life, ministry and teaching proclaimed a theology of salvation
3. I suggest new ways of looking, new metaphors, consistent with work of Jesus
   • drawn from the work of scripture scholar Marcus Borg
   • he says salvation = healing of the wounds of existence

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4. Key metaphors- they all say something about God and about us

1. salvation as liberation
   • from bondage to systems - economic, political, cultural
   • from bondage to control and oppression
   • from bondage of powerlessness
   --I've heard many stories about how you find just being here on Sundays in this gym a liberating experience
2. salvation as reconciliation
   • to be reconnected to that to which we belong
   • return from exile, from alienation
   • to return home - to self, to others, to the earth
   -- I've heard many of you say that when you walked in here you felt safe, you felt as if you had come home. Coming here to work for me was like finally finding the church home I had been looking for all my life
3. salvation as enlightenment
   • coming to see the glory of the sacred within us as well as all around us
   • moving out of the dark of fear and loneliness into the light of day
4. salvation as forgiveness
   • from sin and guilt
   • letting in the message that you are accepted as you are
   • letting go of the "if" and accepting God's unconditional love
   • we welcome you wherever you are, and wherever you've been, on your journey
5. salvation as food and drink
   • finding meaning that satisfies our deepest hungers and thirsts, that deeply nourishes our whole selves
   • finding the hospitality that both completely accepts you and at the same time challenges you to grow into more of who you were created to be
6. salvation as experience of the sacred
   • scientific studies have shown that a majority of us have had a deeply spiritual experience of the divine in our lives
   • for me it has happened outside when I was lonely and by myself - an overwhelming sense that I was okay and connected to everything in a way that made sense
   • this is a direct and immediate knowing of love and unity
   • it is an experience of life without limits = eternal life
7. all-inclusive metaphor: salvation as the reign of God
   • living together in a partnership community of equality
   • living for common good
   • living with justice - bringing liberation (= salvation) to the oppresses and powerless
   • living with compassion - bringing healing (= salvation) to the wounded and lost

Tom Smith-Myott is the SJA Adult Formation Director. He has an MA in Theology from St. John;s University in Collegeville and the University of Notre Dame. Tom has thirty years of experience in religious education and ministry. He began by teaching religion at Derham Hall High School in the 1970's and has been working in Twin Cities parishes since. Tom is married and has three adult children. He is in his 4th year at St. Joan of Arc.