The Full Circle of Life

In the grounds of Preston Minster is the odd work of public art, such as Anglican parish churches with a civic role are wont to accumulate. This one is called Full the Circle of Life. I propose that this is an inappropriate sculpture for somewhere claiming to be a Christian place of worship. Although it might superficially be deemed appropriate for a parish church in which the same people whom it welcomes in baptism it also buries, life is not a circle. If you believe that this physical existence is all you get, then life’s a circle. If you believe that this life is both preceded and proceeded by innumerable other existences, commonly called reincarnation, then life is a cycle. The Bible, however, teaches no such thing. We are given one life, and it lasts for ever. We were created in the womb and, on leaving this mortal body, we enter the realms of eternity. For sinners whose crimes have been forgiven, heaven with Christ; for those who refused so generous an offer, hell without Him. Seeing life as circular is contrary to gospel truth. Your funeral is not your end, but the beginning of the final and everlasting phase of your existence. If only we prepared as well for it as we do our retirement.

Unusually, I’m inclined to agree with the vandal.