December 20, 2024 – Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age

“…true enchantment is simply living within the confident belief that there is deep meaning to life, meaning that exists in the world independent of ourselves. It is living with faith to know that meaning and commune with it. It is not abstract meaning, but meaning that lives in and through God, and in his Son, the Logos made flesh. We can know in our bones that life is good, purposeful, and worth living—but also that spiritual evil and forces of chaos exist as well, and we must prepare to battle them, for daily life requires spiritual warfare. For Christians, this is about learning how to live as if what we profess to believe is true.” (Dreher, Rod. Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age (p. 12). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God…” John 1:1-12

There is no more mystical scripture than the beginning of the Gospel of John. In the beginning was the “logos”, the Word, Jesus – he was preexistent, became human, and now sits at the right hand of the Father. That of course is the short version. But if Jesus was at the beginning of all things, was and is in all things, and now rules over all things, then we need to learn how to perceive the presence of the diving in our daily lives, our daily habits, and within our very beings.

That requires returning to my devotion from December 18 — reminding ourselves of letting go of so much that holds us down and holds us back from spending more time with the divine. Here is what I wrote:

“Jesus came into this world to free us from so much – especially the things that separate us from G-d. The demons and the entities that come through the material world that cloud our thinking and make us hold onto “empty stuff” tighter and tighter are what separate us from our relationship with Jesus – or I should say a fuller relationship with Jesus.”

We all have experienced those moments in our lives where we have cleaned out a closet, or an attic, and it just feels so good to have that space emptied. If we can empty our lives and our thoughts of the clutter of material possessions and the endless pursuit of the newest gadget or technology, perhaps Jesus will have more space to reveal his loving and living presence. And let me tell you, that feels oh so good as well.

Pastor Dave

December 19, 2024 – Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age

“When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door, and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:1-5

“It’s rather a book about the profoundly human need to believe that we live and move and have our being in the presence of God—not just the idea of God, but the God who is as near to us as the air we breathe, the light we see, and the solid ground on which we walk.” (Dreher, Rod. Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age (p. 7). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

We struggle so much to get people to come to church anymore. We try so hard. We develop programs to get people to see how welcoming we are. We paint the outside of our buildings to make them look nicer. We put cute signs with cute sayings outside our buildings hoping people will come to their “Ch_ _Ch – because what is missing is “U R.” And yet people do not come. The statistics in the Lower Susquehanna Synod are not encouraging. We have many churches that cannot afford to call a full-time pastor. They struggle along with part-time ministry – spend what little money they have on dwindling ministries that are left-over attempts from the 20^th century to “build community”. And yet they lose another member every time someone dies. The unspoken truth is this: each death brings them closer to the death of their church. And yet they pray and pray and pray – but Jesus has not visited their church for many years.

Harsh words. Perhaps we need to speak harsh truths if we are to understand that building community requires extraordinary efforts to build relationships with people who are hurting, hungry, and in need of hope. We sit back and invite, and invite, and invite – all the while making no attempt to “rip off the roof of the church” (if that is what it will take) to build relationships with people who are hurting, hungry and in need of Jesus. If we believe that Jesus is as close as the air we breathe, if we believe that Jesus is with us in mysterious, beautiful, and profoundly awe-inspiring wonders, then we need to worship and live in ways that proclaim this reality. If we limit our worship and religion to simple moral laws established to keep people in line, we are doing nothing more than sucking the oxygen out of the enchanted world and experience Jesus’ disciples and followers experienced. 

In the season of Advent, we proclaim G-d as Emmanuel, G-d with us. He came in a mysterious, enchanted and profoundly awesome birth – shared his spirit as he defeated demons, and discarnate beings — and ascended to heaven in a manner reminiscent of Elijah and his fiery chariot. How can you and I  continue to live and proclaim this mystery to the world?  

Pastor Dave