December 21, 2024 – Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age

“…the world is not what we think it is. It is so much weirder. It is so much darker. It is so, so much brighter and more beautiful. We do not create meaning; meaning is already there, waiting to be discovered. Christians of the first millennium knew this. We have lost that knowledge, abandoned faith in this claim, and forgotten how to search.” (Dreher, Rod. Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age (p. 13). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

“They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Can you see anything?” And the man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again, and he looked intently, and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Then he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.” Mark 8:22-26

“The world is not what we think – it is much weirder”

I will admit that there are some days that are much weirder than others. Some experiences are weirder than others. Of course we know some people who are much weirder than others. But that is life – that is what makes this world such an interesting place. I think of the scripture I have chosen for this devotion, realizing that the man has such a weird comment to Jesus once he is healed. In fact this text gets weirder, for Jesus must heal the man a second time. I believe this is the only time Jesus needs to heal a man a second time for his healing to be effective. It is just plain weird.

But that is the kind of G-d we have – we have a G-d who is wild, wonderful, and weird – sort of like the state of West Virginia. Sorry to anyone who is from West VA – half of my family lives there – and there is no one weirder than me.

Anyway, we have a G-d that will use the weird, the wonderful and the wild to let us know of G-d’s presence. This world is weird and whacky. And our G-d will use both to let us know we are known, and we are loved. I mean, how much weirder can you get than Jesus using his own saliva to heal this man. Look, I do not spit on my hands before distributing the bread for communion. No one wants that. Yet Jesus spit on his hands and healed a blind man.

Just think of the ways G-d might be trying to get your attention – but you are thinking it is just too weird. My friends, that may just be the point.

Pastor Dave

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