Entering the Mystery

Sunday, July 27, 2008 Peter Fitch

Or, (humbly)

First Pass at a Christian Theory of Everything

Inspiration

Joel’s question to Brian McLaren: “Why do I have Christian friends that love justice and others that love miracles, and why are they never the same people?”

A day on the bus . . .

The Difficulty

What is God like? Hard for us to understand . . .

He is Love, He is Spirit, He is Jealous, He is Compassionate, He is Three, He is He . . .

And, (still part of same question)

What does He want from us? What kind of life pleases Him most?

Makes us think of Micah 6:8“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (NAS)

The Value of Questions

“Why would you trade a wonderful question like that for an answer?”

Questions

Does He break in to everyday existence from time to time and perform miracles?

Or, is He working in and through everything in nature and history so that it’s perfectly natural for Him to do whatever He wants?

More Questions

And, if either of these perspectives is accurate, that is, He can break into our world from without, or He can adjust our world from within, why do so few people seem to see answers to their most desperate prayers?

One more: Is it really true that He is unchanging?

Boiling it Down

It really all comes down to 2 separate questions about God, and in the end they do affect each other (and our lives!)

So today’s talk is really a probing of the nature of God and, hopefully, an invitation to walk into a deeper relationship with Him

Qualifier

Not every facet of either of these questions can be touched (God is Big! So is life!)

If I seem to leave things out of balance, have a session with Walter after I’m finished . . .

First Question

How does God affect the world, from within or without?

Are all things natural, or all things supernatural, or does the supernatural somehow work its way through the natural?

Implications

If all things are natural, and God flows in and through everything, perhaps everything is a miracle in a way, but God seems less likely to speak to us or to bring specific answers to prayer (to do something really supernatural)

Implications

On the other hand, if we think of it as always supernatural when God does something in the world, there is the danger that God will seem far off for many of us and hard to connect with

Further Implications

If all things are natural, and God flows in and through everything, our focus ought to be on the natural, on caring for the needy, on caring for the earth, on building better governments: on justice (putting things right)

In this case, too much focus on prayer could be seen as a distraction

Further Implications

On the other hand, if we think of it as always supernatural when God does something in the world, our first priority ought always to be prayer

But there is the danger that we’ll end up leaving some of the work undone and presenting an ‘other-worldly’ kind of picture of Jesus as we go through life

Best Passage: Jeremiah 23:23-24

23 "Am I a God who is near," declares the LORD, "And not a God far off? 24 "Can a man hide himself in hiding places, so I do not see him?" declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” (NAS)

First Answer

God declares Himself to be both (near and far): outside of our natural world and able to break in; but also flowing in and through our time and space at all times

Helpful?

God is always everywhere present, but He can also make Himself more present, or present-in-a-different-way

People most often sacrifice their own ambitions in order to serve Him when they have had an experience of this other way, an encounter with a Living Person

Example: Keith & Heidi

Concentric circles or spiral Compass Wife’s position Husband’s stuff Acorn

And, Therefore . . .

There really is a place in His heart for Mary and Martha, for contemplation and spiritual pursuits as well as justice and concern for the poor

Teresa of Avila to her nuns: “If someone asks you for help don’t try to continue in prayer; God has already left your cell to see what can be done”

Second Question Is it really true that God is unchanging? “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today,

and forever . . .” (Hebrews 13:8) “And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or

change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”

(1 Samuel 15:29)

Problem

This is being said as Samuel is explaining to Saul that God has rejected him from being king, that He has changed His mind about Saul . . .

This is very similar to another passage in 1 Samuel as well

The Hard Word to Eli

"Therefore the LORD God of Israel declares, 'I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever'; but now the LORD declares, 'Far be it from Me-- for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed (1 Samuel 2:29-30, NAS).

A Principle

“for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed”

There is a way in which God changes and there is a way in which He does not

Second Answer

He deals with humans in a changing way according to how they relate to His unchanging principles and values concerning Himself

Bringing it Together

He is ever present but He can also ‘show up’ to make a precise difference in a situation

How much any of us get to see of these direct interventions is related (in some way) to how much we have effectively honoured Him (be careful of over-simplifying, though!)

How to Honour Him

A question for another day, but Love Justice Unity Humility Obedience And prayer each play an important

part

In Other Words . . . Do Justice (focus on improving the

natural world in any and all ways) Love Kindness (become as much like

Jesus as you can) Walk Humbly with your God (become

the kind of person that honours God so deeply that He might see your heart’s prayers as an opening for direct interventions in the world)

“Worth It All” Rita Springer

performed by (Rebekah Thiessen and Rachael Barham)