Time&Eternity

40 chapter 1
Du Schöpfer aller Wesen,
du Lenker aller Zeit,
die Woche, die gewesen,
kehrt heim zur Ewigkeit. 191
As noted earlier, in the two books that contain primarily more recent
hymns, there is a noticeable lack of interest in eternity. In the SA, the theme
of eternity hardly appears at all. 192 Instead, the here and now is more important.
If, in the past, earthly life was subordinated to otherworldly eternity,
eternity is now categorized as being in this world. 193 Whereas the unrest of
the times was previously contrasted to the peacefulness of eternity, now we
are dealing with peace in a time that is running out:
Jesus, hjälp oss finna tid .l.l.
I vår brådska skapa frid .l.l. 194
The emphasis is on “hope for today.” 195 Hymns that deal with suffering
are not content to wait for eternity; instead, they seek hope and assurance in
the present. 196 The heavenly feast is less the goal in itself than the model for
shaping the present-day world:
In praise of God meet duty and delight,
angels and creatures, men and spirits blest:
in praise is earth transfigured by the sound
and sight of heaven’s everlasting feast. 197
The experience of being part of a threatened creation has contributed to
an enhanced importance of this-worldliness. Eternal salvation can no longer
be thought of exclusively as the eternal life of Christians who have died. In
order for it to be salvation, it must also include the liberation of a frightened
creation. Hope is not oriented toward otherworldly eternity, but
rather toward an eighth day of creation, a flourishing future for the earth. 198
Thus, one achieves a kind of reconciliation of differences in the concepts
eternity and time. Eternity enjoys an increasing level of immanence; it is increasingly
at the service of time, in order to improve or ennoble it:
Minns att var sekund
är en liten stund
av evigheten hos Gud,
och när dagen lång
du hör fåglars sång,
hör du himmelens egna ljud.l.l.l.
.l.l. minns att rätt och frid
i vår egen tid
ska få spegla Guds kärleks lag.
Så lev Guds nu.l.l.l. 199