Trajectory

On April 1st, Artemis II was launched from the JFK Space Center on Merritt Island, sending four astronauts on an "around the moon" mission. The rocket was launched at 6:35 EDT, its trajectory set, the moon its target. Everything that was done, the science, the training, the funding, all of it - was focused on the mission of Artemis II.

Paul, writing to the church at Colossae, gave them instructions on their eternal mission, so to speak,

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ¹

What was Paul doing here? He was instructing us, exhorting us, to set our trajectory. He was giving, not minute-by-minute detailed instructions, but rather supplying us with launch instructions - showing us how to set out into our day, our week, our job, our Sunday church service, all of the time passages and seasons we as His people navigate. He was telling us what the trajectory of our hearts and minds should be.

He was addressing our affections and our intentions.

Our hearts are the seat of our affections, what draws our desire and captures our loving gaze. And what is to be the trajectory of our affections?

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. ²

Our trajectory is to be the seat of His presence, the place His glory dwells, or more directly, the One who sits at the right hand of God, Jesus. The trajectory of our affections, their ultimate "mission" should be set on Him. Yes, He supplies all that we need and all that we enjoy - He is the One who gives us the ability to enjoy! - but ultimately our hearts' trajectory should be Him.

Our minds are often filled with intention - thoughts and plans for what we have to accomplish during our day, and the Lord understands that. He knows our lives get rather busy. But before the start of that day, may we, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his book, "Life Together", set our intentions properly,

Therefore, at the beginning of the day let all distraction and empty talk be silenced and let the first thought and the first word belong to him to whom our whole life belongs. ³

Bonhoeffer is talking about setting our trajectory into our day. Our ultimate intention, the one ruling over all of our sub-intentions, should be, not the things on this earth, but rather the end of our days - the purpose for which we have been called and are headed: to gain Christ. As Paul says,

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ⁴

Paul's intention informed his living.

And with us, God stirs our affections and draws our intentions in order to capture our gaze and set it upon what really matters - Him. Why? Because He is the object of our worship. And when we come to see this, then we can understand that in the beginning, before we even knew Him, His affection was set upon us, and his intention was to capture us with His grace.

References

¹ Colossians 3:1-2

² Psalms 16:11

³ Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, ©1954, Harper & Row Publishers, Inc.

⁴ Philippians 3:12