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Wisdom Story
A man longed to see and hear God. He went out to a hilltop; he yelled and pleaded with God. "Speak to me!" A bird sang. Disappointed, the man begged God to speak, and all he heard was children playing in the distance. "Please God, touch me!" he cried, and wind blew across his cheek. Still discouraged at God not answering him, the man prayed, "God, show yourself to me!" A butterfly flew across his path. He got home, convinced that God had abandoned him, and his daughter ran out to greet him. He, still, felt God had forsaken him.
Comments
Of course, God does not have a body like you or me. God is Spirit. Even that does not help us much. For just what is Spirit?
We might think God is something invisible like the wind or a ghostlike presence. "Spirit" or "Mystery," and like words, can become another of our favorite religious or spiritual ABCs and are as likely to hinder us as help us.
God is nothing. That just does not make sense, does it? God is and is nothing; God is nothing and is. ~ Possibly, that is one lesson that would temper much religious arrogance: God is not meant to make sense, and the God that makes sense "ain't" God.
I am not saying that we cannot sense the Presence, indeed, often sense the Divine; but we cannot see it, and, likely, rarely will we hear Such. If someone says "God told me," we can wonder how much of what God might have said got through the human brain without it being radically revised or undergoing deletion. Yes, God speaks to us, but the question is "How?" And, what does it mean to say "I heard God"?
We can see and hear Love all about us. Likely, expectations of what God is, how God appears, and how God speaks ~ all cluttered around words for "God" ~ hinders from experiencing Wonderful Presence in near voices, events, and appearances.
God took flesh as Jesus of Nazareth. The Logos became a man. We are not surprised, or we, that the Divine continues to meet and greet and speak usually in some earthy person or happening?
I end with an affirmation that God does speak and does appear. Likewise, there are atypical ways that can occur to a person or group. Yet, that will never be God in Godself. That will be adapted to us, for our discernment. And, while these words and manifestations can occur, they are exception to God~among~us, God~within~us, Presence meeting us in divine synchronicities that evolve all around us.
Reflection
In what ways do you discern the presence of God? Voice of God?
For Brian's on-line audio sermons, go to www.wherethelightshines.org and select Pastor's Corner; on the following page is his weekly sermons given at Christ United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL.
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For replies and biographical information, and submission to "The Light Shines" daily devotionals ~ a ministry of Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL, see next page:
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