What’s Going on at the Church
“Weighing Truth and Life”
When it comes to spirituality, it’s natural to ask, Where do I begin? Throughout the scriptures, there are moments when God and human beings “meet” that is expressed in the phrase or the response “Here, I am”. Brian McClaren expands on this exchange.
“When I feel I am seeking God, calling out, ‘Is anybody there?’ or whether I feel God is calling out to me and I respond, ‘Here I am’, the word here can do something amazingly comprehensive. Through it, I show up. The teacher is taking attendance and I tell the teacher I’m present and ready to learn. There is an old theological term for this first practice of awakening – of becoming present to the Presence; invocation. The word suggests a summoning, but of course God isn’t busy elsewhere, needing to be called to meet us. No, God has been with us all along even though we may have been too busy or distracted, too groggy or sick or immature to notice. Through invocation, we are calling inward to our own souls, summoning ourselves to wake up, so we can attend to the Presence in whose attention we are held, and in whom we live and move and have our being. The point is, the only place I can begin to awaken spiritually is Here. Now. Just as I am.
Sometimes we may want to choose a special place as our here. Jesus frequently withdrew into the countryside away from the crowds. The early Celts identified special “thin places” where the membrane between the visible world and the unseen world felt especially permeable. Leaders as diverse as Moses, the Buddha, the desert fathers and Muhammad all recounted powerful spiritual experiences during times of withdrawal and solitude. To plug into the naked here, sometimes we need to unplug from the distractions and demands that keep us not here. (We may need to unplug from the video game or website or our heady isms whether economic, political, or even theological.)
Sometimes it is enough, wherever we may be to remind ourselves, “Here God, I’m here with you, You’re here with me”. This is a precious thing to savor. I am awakening to the relationships in which I live – as a creature in creation, a child in the family, a member of God’s flock. But dare we go even farther? Dare we move from here, to who and you? This is exactly the move Paul made on the Damascus road. Up until that moment, he knew exactly who God is and what life and religion are about, or at least he thought so. But now he experiences a kind of new birth and new beginning in an actual encounter with the living God. Now he must let what he knew with such certainty be deconstructed. He must reopen the question, “Who are you, Lord? This question is essential in the shift from religiosity to spirituality. We must hold the question open to God; by doing so we open and present ourselves to the God beyond our notions, to the living You who is actually here. We begin to live with a perpetual Here I am and here you are in our hearts; inviting constant, vital connection, unbroken communion, lifelong friendship – starting right here, starting right now.” How much higher and wider and deeper and richer our lives become when we awaken to the presence of the real, wild, mysterious living God, who is bigger than our tame concepts of the divine.”
Blessing and Peace, Ed
Looking to donate to our thrift sales?
If you have any furniture to donate, please take a photo of what you have and send the photos to office@1stpresrahway.org. At this time, we’re not accepting clothes or shoes.
Members usually work on Wednesday’s for our sales from 10:30 am -1:30 pm. If that’s not a convenient time for you to drop off donations, other arrangements can be made. Please email the church office and your request will be forwarded to the “sales crew” so they can respond to your inquiry.
As always, thank you to all who donate. Our sales have been a great success this year because of you!
Important Message from the USRC Board of Directors:
Please read these guidelines about Squier Hall and the formation of the USRC Board of Directors, who will be overseeing the groups meeting in Squier.
As part of the guidelines, please use this form if you have any concerns so that they can be addressed.
Interested in Getting Involved?
We have a lot of different ways for you to get involved – short-term projects, one-time opportunities, working with our livestream technology on Sundays, plus much more. Click on the button below to see what we have on our ‘volunteer wish list’. As more opportunities become available, we will be sure to update our listings.