Mystic Musings: Lent 3/02
“Since no one really knows about God, those who think they do are just troublemakers.”
Rabia of Basra, an 8th century Islamic Sufi saint and poet
In my early ministry I felt like I knew something about God. After all I had an undergraduate degree in religion under my belt with departmental honors and then a Masters of Divinity. I remember having to write a statement of faith as part of my ordination process. Boy, did I have it down! I wrote an 11-page statement of faith. Actually, it was only two pages with nine pages of footnotes both explaining my choice of words and naming my illustrious resources. I had God all neatly packaged up with no room for God to surprise me!
Photo by Alexander Schimmeck @alschim
But, something happened over the years. The more I studied and preached on the Christian faith and the concept of God, the less I felt I knew. In 2007, if people asked, I started calling myself an agnostic Christian mystic rather than simply a Christian. Christianity is where I got my values, but by adding in the words agnostic and mystic I indicated that my faith was shaped more by my experience of Mystery than any particular and limited belief. I have come to love the “I don’t know” of agnosticism.
Here is the deal. No one really knows God. Our only insight into the Divine Presence is through all of our individual and corporate experiences. If we want to know God, it isn’t by blindly taking the word of robed preachers in the pulpit. It is by sharing your experience of God and inviting others to do the same. Even that will still fall woefully short, but it might get us closer to a real picture. Quite honestly, not sharing your individual experience of God or the Mystery robs the rest of us of seeing a part of God that we can’t see with our own eyes.
Preachers are great, but only if they open the door for you to share your experience of God too. Preachers who have all the answers believe in a very small God. Don’t let them get away with that.
Sit quietly. Breathe deeply as you prepare to trust your own voice and experience. Ponder the following questions:
What life experiences have had the most impact on how you experience God, the Sacred, or a Divine Presence?
In what ways have religious authorities or communities shaped your experience of God, the Sacred or a Divine Presence positively?
In what ways have religious authorities or communities shaped your experience of God, the Sacred or a Divine Presence negatively?
What do you have to teach others about God, the Sacred or a Divine Presence?
What do others have to teach you about God, the Sacred or a Divine Presence?