Sisters and Brothers in Christ

When I was a child I was perplexed by God and religion (not that I have changed that much). In my simple childlike way I could not understand why God just didn't show up and explain what it was that God was about. How we should believe and act. Which religion was the truest (which would be mine of course). It just didn't make sense to leave us human beings in such a quandary when all God had to do was show up and lay the whole scheme out in simple language.

William R. White quotes this teaching story:

A disciple once complained, "You tell us stories, but you never reveal their meaning to us."

Said the master, "How would you like it if someone offered you fruit and chewed it up before giving it to you?"

No one can find your meaning for you.

Not even the master.

There are plenty of people in the Episcopal Church, in Christianity, and in other religions who are more than happy to do the impossible - hand you and me the meaning we yearn to find. Such robbery is a travesty! The point of the spiritual journey is not the destination - it is the journey itself.

I once saw an ad that read, "The only problem with churches that have all the answers is that they don't allow any questions." It took me a long time to overcome the fear of my own questions but once I started asking my journey gained momentum and I discovered that God did not have to just show up - God is already here.

What kind of questions do you have? More than likely those questions are gentle nudges from God. Faith is not static belief, instead it is dynamic and evolving. Faith rides the currents of questions and carries us to the realization of just how near God really is.

Joel t