The opening text will come from a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man - A Philosophy of Judaism). As you are able to see by the title, the language may be a bit dated and therefore, I will, when able, make the language inclusive.
Faith is not the same as belief, not the same as the attitude of regarding something as true. When the people of Israel worshiped a golden calf, forty days after Sinai, their belief in the event was surely present. Faith is an act of the whole person, of mind, will, and heart. Faith is sensitivity, understanding, engagement, and attachment; not something achieved once and for all, but an attitude one may gain and lose.
This may seem like a small distinction….but it is a great one. We all use these words (belief & faith) in many ways. It appears that the point being made here about faith is that it demands everything – our whole being. There are no facts that are listed and then we make a decision that these facts are indeed true. Facts can be discarded for what ever is to come along next. The event of Sinai bit the dust once the golden calf was made. We could say it took the next generation of wilderness wandering to help the people of Israel…give their whole lives to this God who rescues and sustains. The community of faith is much needed because within that community, we continue to bath ourselves in the wonder and awe – the presence of God that is available and for us. Alone, it is so easy to simply believe what we see and the data of the day given to us. We gather as people of faith to make sure the sensitivity and vision and power of God’s reign stays fresh among us even in the face of whatever pulls at us.
Connection: Our God has given us vision to see God’s never ending claim on us. It is always important for us to affirm that claim everyday. Like exercising, it shapes our whole life.
Lord lead us and hold us and shake us up so that we may continue to focus on the ways of your Reign even as we walk through the parts of our day when we would often choose to follow and trust other things around. Amen.
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Monday, June 9, 2003
Monday, June 9, 2003
The opening text will come from a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man - A Philosophy of Judaism). As you are able to see by the title, the language may be a bit dated and therefore, I will, when able, make the language inclusive.
There is no faith at first sight. A faith that comes into being like a butterfly is ephemeral. (One) who is swift to believe is swift to forget.
Faith does not come into being out of nothing, inadvertently, unprepared, as an unearthed surprise. Faith is preceded by awe, by acts of amazement at things that we apprehend but cannot comprehend. In the story of the Red Sea we read: “Israel saw the great works which the Lord did…and the people feared the Lord…and they believed in the Lord.” (Exodus 14:31). We must learn how to see “the miracles which are daily with us”; we must learn how to live in awe, in order to attain the insights of faith.
In the gospels and in the Book of Acts, it is interesting to see when people are “filled with amazement” or “terror and amazement” or “perplexed” or “filled with wonder and amazement.” It is also interesting to see what happens next. The come to trust/have faith…or…they try to react violently to what it was that was so amazing. I think Heschel’s comment that “acts of amazement” are at “things that we apprehend but cannot comprehend.” It is as though we see…we connect…we are thrown for a loop…we cannot grab hold of the whole thing…and yet we are draw/pulled forward to trust…to go forward with no absolute proof of anything...and yet we go. The future becomes that which is engaged with a sense of awe and wonder…and therefore with a sense of openness to what may take place….trusting….faith.
Connection: There are many ways that we brush against the wonder of God’s reign each day. It may well be the beginning of a new adventure in which we have faith in our God to lead us and guide us into our next brush with God’s reign.
Lord of New Life, take hold of us and let your Spirit sweep us off our feet and shake us up so that we may look with new eyes…eyes of faith at the day ahead. Amen.
There is no faith at first sight. A faith that comes into being like a butterfly is ephemeral. (One) who is swift to believe is swift to forget.
Faith does not come into being out of nothing, inadvertently, unprepared, as an unearthed surprise. Faith is preceded by awe, by acts of amazement at things that we apprehend but cannot comprehend. In the story of the Red Sea we read: “Israel saw the great works which the Lord did…and the people feared the Lord…and they believed in the Lord.” (Exodus 14:31). We must learn how to see “the miracles which are daily with us”; we must learn how to live in awe, in order to attain the insights of faith.
In the gospels and in the Book of Acts, it is interesting to see when people are “filled with amazement” or “terror and amazement” or “perplexed” or “filled with wonder and amazement.” It is also interesting to see what happens next. The come to trust/have faith…or…they try to react violently to what it was that was so amazing. I think Heschel’s comment that “acts of amazement” are at “things that we apprehend but cannot comprehend.” It is as though we see…we connect…we are thrown for a loop…we cannot grab hold of the whole thing…and yet we are draw/pulled forward to trust…to go forward with no absolute proof of anything...and yet we go. The future becomes that which is engaged with a sense of awe and wonder…and therefore with a sense of openness to what may take place….trusting….faith.
Connection: There are many ways that we brush against the wonder of God’s reign each day. It may well be the beginning of a new adventure in which we have faith in our God to lead us and guide us into our next brush with God’s reign.
Lord of New Life, take hold of us and let your Spirit sweep us off our feet and shake us up so that we may look with new eyes…eyes of faith at the day ahead. Amen.
Friday, June 6, 2003
Friday, June 6, 2003
The opening text will come from a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man - A Philosophy of Judaism). As you are able to see by the title, the language may be a bit dated and therefore, I will, when able, make the language inclusive.
Just as clairvoyants may see the future, the religious (person) comes to sense the present moment. And this is an extreme achievement. For the present is the presence of God. Things have a past and a future, but only God is pure presence.
I immediately thought of the story of Moses and the burning bush. With all that had gone on in Moses life and all that was about to go on, the only time and space that was of ultimate concern was that moment. Facing the burning bush, taking off his sandals and being in the utter presence of God happened in the here and now for Moses. There are many reasons to want to ignore the present moment and be concerned about past and future events. And yet, to give ourselves over to the time at hand allows us to begin our day with a new and powerful sense of the vitality of life that surrounds us.
Connection: Burning bushes grab our attention…and yet we can still blow it all off. It is a gift for life to stop and pay attention to the many ways God will coax us into standing alongside the God who is available to us within this time.
Creating God, keep us aware of your never failing presence and love so that we may face this day with confidence and with a keen awareness of the potential that is at hand. Amen.
Just as clairvoyants may see the future, the religious (person) comes to sense the present moment. And this is an extreme achievement. For the present is the presence of God. Things have a past and a future, but only God is pure presence.
I immediately thought of the story of Moses and the burning bush. With all that had gone on in Moses life and all that was about to go on, the only time and space that was of ultimate concern was that moment. Facing the burning bush, taking off his sandals and being in the utter presence of God happened in the here and now for Moses. There are many reasons to want to ignore the present moment and be concerned about past and future events. And yet, to give ourselves over to the time at hand allows us to begin our day with a new and powerful sense of the vitality of life that surrounds us.
Connection: Burning bushes grab our attention…and yet we can still blow it all off. It is a gift for life to stop and pay attention to the many ways God will coax us into standing alongside the God who is available to us within this time.
Creating God, keep us aware of your never failing presence and love so that we may face this day with confidence and with a keen awareness of the potential that is at hand. Amen.
Wednesday, June 4, 2003
Thursday, June 5, 2003
The opening text will come from a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man - A Philosophy of Judaism). As you are able to see by the title, the language may be a bit dated and therefore, I will, when able, make the language inclusive.
The essence of Jewish religious thinking does not lie in entertaining a concept of God but in the ability to articulate a memory of moments of illumination by (God’s) presence. Israel is not a people of definers but a people of witness: “You are my witnesses” (Isaiah 43:10). Reminders of what has been disclosed to us are hanging over our souls like stars, remote and of mind-surpassing grandeur. They shine through dark and dangerous ages, and their reflection can be seen in the lives of those who guard the path of conscience and memory in the wilderness of careless living.
Too often, we become nothing more than “definers.” For me that means the Church gets caught in a game that is so involved with clarifying what can and cannot be a part of the faithful, that we do not let ourselves be faithful to the witness. We are to be witnesses to the resurrection life in Jesus….witnesses to the feast of victory…witnesses to the life of the beloved community. Unfortunately, we can be so afraid of what is the right or wrong that we leave no witness at all. That’s why it takes us so long to work through the issues of the day around which the Church could give great witness to the love of God and the life of God’s Reign. We would rather be right (right to some criteria of definition that fits for now) than to let the flowing stream of justice, peace, loving kindness and forgiveness flow like a stream or shine like the stars in the sky.
Connection: We may not be right or wrong today…but what is it that we hold up as a witness to the reign of God? The simple self-sacrificing acts of loving kindness may leave a witness that changes hearts or makes other long to leave a witness to our God within their own lives.
Shine, Lord God, Shine, and let your life make our lives shine with the encouraging love and grace of your blessed reign. Keep us focused on the great witnesses of the faith that have gone before us and inspire us to let your light shine among us. Amen.
The essence of Jewish religious thinking does not lie in entertaining a concept of God but in the ability to articulate a memory of moments of illumination by (God’s) presence. Israel is not a people of definers but a people of witness: “You are my witnesses” (Isaiah 43:10). Reminders of what has been disclosed to us are hanging over our souls like stars, remote and of mind-surpassing grandeur. They shine through dark and dangerous ages, and their reflection can be seen in the lives of those who guard the path of conscience and memory in the wilderness of careless living.
Too often, we become nothing more than “definers.” For me that means the Church gets caught in a game that is so involved with clarifying what can and cannot be a part of the faithful, that we do not let ourselves be faithful to the witness. We are to be witnesses to the resurrection life in Jesus….witnesses to the feast of victory…witnesses to the life of the beloved community. Unfortunately, we can be so afraid of what is the right or wrong that we leave no witness at all. That’s why it takes us so long to work through the issues of the day around which the Church could give great witness to the love of God and the life of God’s Reign. We would rather be right (right to some criteria of definition that fits for now) than to let the flowing stream of justice, peace, loving kindness and forgiveness flow like a stream or shine like the stars in the sky.
Connection: We may not be right or wrong today…but what is it that we hold up as a witness to the reign of God? The simple self-sacrificing acts of loving kindness may leave a witness that changes hearts or makes other long to leave a witness to our God within their own lives.
Shine, Lord God, Shine, and let your life make our lives shine with the encouraging love and grace of your blessed reign. Keep us focused on the great witnesses of the faith that have gone before us and inspire us to let your light shine among us. Amen.
Tuesday, June 3, 2003
Wednesday, June 4, 2003
The opening text will come from a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man - A Philosophy of Judaism). As you are able to see by the title, the language may be a bit dated and therefore, I will, when able, make the language inclusive.
Faith comes out of awe, out of an awareness that we are exposed to (God’s) presence, out of anxiety to answer the challenge of God, out of an awareness of our being called upon. Religion consists of God’s question and (humanity’s) answer. The way to faith is the way of faith. The way to God is the way of God. Unless God asks the question, all our inquiries are in vain.
The answer lasts a moment, the commitment continues. Unless the awareness of the ineffable mystery of existence becomes a permanent state of mind, all that remains is a commitment without faith. To strengthen our alertness, to refine our appreciation of the mystery is the meaning of worship and observance. For faith does not remain stationary. We must continue to pray, continue to obey to be able to believe and to remain attached to (God’s) presence.
We all need to remember that “faith does not remain stationary.” Everyday is a consequence of our stepping off in faith. Therefore, I suppose we could look back at our day and it would tell us a bit about that in which we place our faith. At the same time, we are always free to trust again each and every day…to continue in faith…to leap into what is not yet. When we come together for worship we train ourselves to take another look at our day and everything around us. Through our hymns and through the Meal and the Word, we are challenged to respond to our God who is forever bidding us to come and live a whole new life. I find that worship presses me to look with faithful eyes at a world that is forever changing and then trusting that our God is in, with, and under all the change and all of what will come of it.
Connection: Do not remain in one place…the place you find comfortable for you. Take the step to journey into this day as though our God is laying out a carpet of new life upon which we are invited to walk.
Be present in our day, O Lord. Be present to lift our eyes so that we may be amazed by the glory of this day which you hand to us. Be present and grasp us with the power of your Spirit so that we may engage ourselves with those we meet along the way. Amen.
Faith comes out of awe, out of an awareness that we are exposed to (God’s) presence, out of anxiety to answer the challenge of God, out of an awareness of our being called upon. Religion consists of God’s question and (humanity’s) answer. The way to faith is the way of faith. The way to God is the way of God. Unless God asks the question, all our inquiries are in vain.
The answer lasts a moment, the commitment continues. Unless the awareness of the ineffable mystery of existence becomes a permanent state of mind, all that remains is a commitment without faith. To strengthen our alertness, to refine our appreciation of the mystery is the meaning of worship and observance. For faith does not remain stationary. We must continue to pray, continue to obey to be able to believe and to remain attached to (God’s) presence.
We all need to remember that “faith does not remain stationary.” Everyday is a consequence of our stepping off in faith. Therefore, I suppose we could look back at our day and it would tell us a bit about that in which we place our faith. At the same time, we are always free to trust again each and every day…to continue in faith…to leap into what is not yet. When we come together for worship we train ourselves to take another look at our day and everything around us. Through our hymns and through the Meal and the Word, we are challenged to respond to our God who is forever bidding us to come and live a whole new life. I find that worship presses me to look with faithful eyes at a world that is forever changing and then trusting that our God is in, with, and under all the change and all of what will come of it.
Connection: Do not remain in one place…the place you find comfortable for you. Take the step to journey into this day as though our God is laying out a carpet of new life upon which we are invited to walk.
Be present in our day, O Lord. Be present to lift our eyes so that we may be amazed by the glory of this day which you hand to us. Be present and grasp us with the power of your Spirit so that we may engage ourselves with those we meet along the way. Amen.
Monday, June 2, 2003
Tuesday, June 3, 2003
The opening text will come from a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man - A Philosophy of Judaism). As you are able to see by the title, the language may be a bit dated and therefore, I will, when able, make the language inclusive.
Our seeking (God) is not only (humanity’s) but also (God’s) concern, and must be considered an exclusively human affair. (God’s) will is involved in our yearnings. All of human history as described in the Bible may be summarized in one phrase: God is in search of (humanity). Faith in God is a response to God’s question…
When Adam and Eve hid from (God’s) presence, the Lord called: Where art thou (Genesis 3:9)? It is a call that goes out again and again. It is a still small echo of a still small voice, not uttered in words, not conveyed in categories of the mind, but ineffable and mysterious, as ineffable and mysterious as the glory that fills the whole world. It is wrapped in silence; concealed and subdued, yet it is as if all things were the frozen echo of the question: Where art thou?
Again, be reminded of such a God as this. Not only can’t we say we are alone (although the feeling of being alone can be intense and very real), we must tell one another that our God is chasing through the garden to find us as we try to hide away. The searching is not a searching in order to punish, it is a searching in order to express love and be in union with God’s children. Do not fear. Do not consider yourself lost…this God of our finds all and promises to rescue us in times of need.
Connection: Prayer may be the best way to send up a flare as God searches around for us so that God’s power and grace may abound for us.
Blessed Creator of All that is, within the events of this day, it comes as a marvelous revelation to know that you long to be with us and to remain at our side. By your presence, we are comforted and encouraged and are able to begin again…even when beginnings seemed impossible for us. Praise be to you. Amen.
Our seeking (God) is not only (humanity’s) but also (God’s) concern, and must be considered an exclusively human affair. (God’s) will is involved in our yearnings. All of human history as described in the Bible may be summarized in one phrase: God is in search of (humanity). Faith in God is a response to God’s question…
When Adam and Eve hid from (God’s) presence, the Lord called: Where art thou (Genesis 3:9)? It is a call that goes out again and again. It is a still small echo of a still small voice, not uttered in words, not conveyed in categories of the mind, but ineffable and mysterious, as ineffable and mysterious as the glory that fills the whole world. It is wrapped in silence; concealed and subdued, yet it is as if all things were the frozen echo of the question: Where art thou?
Again, be reminded of such a God as this. Not only can’t we say we are alone (although the feeling of being alone can be intense and very real), we must tell one another that our God is chasing through the garden to find us as we try to hide away. The searching is not a searching in order to punish, it is a searching in order to express love and be in union with God’s children. Do not fear. Do not consider yourself lost…this God of our finds all and promises to rescue us in times of need.
Connection: Prayer may be the best way to send up a flare as God searches around for us so that God’s power and grace may abound for us.
Blessed Creator of All that is, within the events of this day, it comes as a marvelous revelation to know that you long to be with us and to remain at our side. By your presence, we are comforted and encouraged and are able to begin again…even when beginnings seemed impossible for us. Praise be to you. Amen.
Monday, June 2, 2003
The opening text will come from a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man - A Philosophy of Judaism). As you are able to see by the title, the language may be a bit dated and therefore, I will, when able, make the language inclusive.
Most theories of religion start out with defining the religious situation as (humanity’s) search for God and maintain the axiom that God is silent, hidden, and unconcerned with (humanity’s) search for (God). Now in adopting that axiom, the answer is given before the question is asked.
To Biblical thinking, the definition is incomplete and the axiom false. The Bible speaks not only of (humanity’s) search for God but also God’s search for (humanity). “Thou dost hunt me like a lion,” exclaimed Job (10:16).
What an important understanding to set down among us. Rather than the stereotypical picture of people trying to find God or work their way to God…God is pursuing us! That is why I so often use the image of God wooing us into relationship with God. In fact, God will do all things – anything – in order to grab us and have us as God’s own children. In a discussion about forgiveness in Sunday school today, we were moved to push ourselves beyond our image of forgiving and what is “enough” forgiveness and begin to see how God forgives everything that has taken place and all that will take place and that God sees us as we will be at the great feast at the end of time…a beloved, guest. God will stop at nothing to bring us home. That is an unbelievable hunt…and yet we say it is the way of our God.
Connection: When will God grab hold of you today…or when will we stop to recognize just how close God is trying to be to us?
Loving Lord, it is by your grace that you pull us into a relationship with you. Even when we know that we are far from you, we turn around to find that you have moved closer and are reaching out to embrace us and treat us as your beloved. Thanks be to you for the gift of life that comes from your touch and your never-ending love for us. Amen.
Most theories of religion start out with defining the religious situation as (humanity’s) search for God and maintain the axiom that God is silent, hidden, and unconcerned with (humanity’s) search for (God). Now in adopting that axiom, the answer is given before the question is asked.
To Biblical thinking, the definition is incomplete and the axiom false. The Bible speaks not only of (humanity’s) search for God but also God’s search for (humanity). “Thou dost hunt me like a lion,” exclaimed Job (10:16).
What an important understanding to set down among us. Rather than the stereotypical picture of people trying to find God or work their way to God…God is pursuing us! That is why I so often use the image of God wooing us into relationship with God. In fact, God will do all things – anything – in order to grab us and have us as God’s own children. In a discussion about forgiveness in Sunday school today, we were moved to push ourselves beyond our image of forgiving and what is “enough” forgiveness and begin to see how God forgives everything that has taken place and all that will take place and that God sees us as we will be at the great feast at the end of time…a beloved, guest. God will stop at nothing to bring us home. That is an unbelievable hunt…and yet we say it is the way of our God.
Connection: When will God grab hold of you today…or when will we stop to recognize just how close God is trying to be to us?
Loving Lord, it is by your grace that you pull us into a relationship with you. Even when we know that we are far from you, we turn around to find that you have moved closer and are reaching out to embrace us and treat us as your beloved. Thanks be to you for the gift of life that comes from your touch and your never-ending love for us. Amen.
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