Today’s Readings: Psalm 108; Joshua 3:1-10; John 5:19-29; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Psalm 20
During my mid-twenties, I became totally frustrated with the public face of Christianity. I had lived through the series of televangelist scandals, I had seen a growing emphasis on materialism via the emergence of what some have termed the Gospel of Prosperity, and I watched as many of the mainline denominations switched their emphasis from welcome the marginalized to actually marginalizing folks from the LGBT community. Consequently, I stepped out of the church for the better part of the year. During that time, a friend steered me to read some folks from the Eastern traditions. Right away, I noticed a HUGE difference between approaches toward spirituality from the West and the East. Many Western traditions, for instance, put their emphasis on the fact that we need to extend a great deal of effort trying to “get ready” to be in right relation with God. Eastern traditions, on the other hand, put their emphasis in a different place. Many of their adherents place their emphasis on living in a state of readiness from one moment to the next. While I returned to Christianity by the time I was in my late twenties, I have never forgotten the wisdom of the Eastern traditions. My focus has been on living from moment to moment in the presence of God – rather than trying to get ready to live in that presence. That has made all the difference in the world to me. I was reminded of this piece of my faith journey as I read today’s first psalm. I noticed the language of the psalm didn’t say “get ready”; it said “I’m ready, so ready, from head to toe” (Psalm 108:1 from The Message). My question for you today is this: are you living your life in an attempt to get ready for a later encounter with God, or are you living your life in a space you are already ready for the encounters you have with God from one moment to the next? Til next time…
During my mid-twenties, I became totally frustrated with the public face of Christianity. I had lived through the series of televangelist scandals, I had seen a growing emphasis on materialism via the emergence of what some have termed the Gospel of Prosperity, and I watched as many of the mainline denominations switched their emphasis from welcome the marginalized to actually marginalizing folks from the LGBT community. Consequently, I stepped out of the church for the better part of the year. During that time, a friend steered me to read some folks from the Eastern traditions. Right away, I noticed a HUGE difference between approaches toward spirituality from the West and the East. Many Western traditions, for instance, put their emphasis on the fact that we need to extend a great deal of effort trying to “get ready” to be in right relation with God. Eastern traditions, on the other hand, put their emphasis in a different place. Many of their adherents place their emphasis on living in a state of readiness from one moment to the next. While I returned to Christianity by the time I was in my late twenties, I have never forgotten the wisdom of the Eastern traditions. My focus has been on living from moment to moment in the presence of God – rather than trying to get ready to live in that presence. That has made all the difference in the world to me. I was reminded of this piece of my faith journey as I read today’s first psalm. I noticed the language of the psalm didn’t say “get ready”; it said “I’m ready, so ready, from head to toe” (Psalm 108:1 from The Message). My question for you today is this: are you living your life in an attempt to get ready for a later encounter with God, or are you living your life in a space you are already ready for the encounters you have with God from one moment to the next? Til next time…
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