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Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues

Feeling is believing?

Often, we say “Seeing is believing”; but with an invisible God, perhaps feeling is believing? (Col. 1:15a)

 

Context

Unsurprisingly, there is not much in the news related to today’s topic, thus I trust you’ll find the following links helpful:.

 

Ideas for sermons or interactive talks

The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner (1904-1984) famously said “the Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist.” Christian mysticism is a holistic experience, involving heart and head, the tangible and the intangible, the invisible and the visible. Following on from this, the Bible makes it clear that humanity doesn’t cope very well or for very long with an invisible God (Exodus 32:1-6). Note also Donald Trump’s golden statue of himself in his proposed Gaza resort.

Idols are our way of coping with an invisible — but immanent — God and the lack of a solid spirituality (inner experience of God). Theological colleges are very good at teaching theology and doctrine but are often reluctant to train clergy in spiritual practices such as meditation and contemplative prayer. These are often treated as “optional extras.” But are they?

Colossians 1:15-28 bears some clear similarities with the Gospel of John. In verse 25 Paul speaks of making the “word” of God fully known. Many commentators think that the “word of God” refers to the Gospel — which it certainly can. But it can also refer to Jesus as the “Word” or “Logos” of God: the creative, cosmic wisdom. Read verses 15-17 and then read John 1:1-3. Note also how John deals with the problem of an invisible God in John 14:8, when Philip asks Jesus to “show us the Father.” We humans seemingly need empirical proof of God’s existence.

 

Questions regarding experiencing the invisible God

  • Have you directly experienced God in voice, vision or presence? How did it feel to you? Did you feel you could share it with anyone or were you reluctant? What convinced you your experience was of God? How has it affected your spiritual journey?
  • Listen to Haydn’s Die Himmel Erzählen/The Heavens Are Telling from his magnificent work, The Creation. Have you ever been so moved by God’s handiwork? Has the beauty of creation ever brought you to your knees? Or is God merely the clockwinder of the “Enlightenment” who has done his job and withdrawn from us?

Revd Dr Jack Lawson is a freelance writer and novelist: Doing Time, No Good Deed, Criminal Justice, The Woods and Dirty Business. His newest novel, Joab, (Wipf & Stock) is based on the life of King David. For more information visit: www.jacknlawson.com; https://jacknlawson.com/blog; https://wingsepress.com/pages/lawson-jack-n

 

Check-in

Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people

“I’ve been watching the wheelchair tennis. Its incredible. They have to do all the things the able-bodied tennis players do and move around in wheelchairs as well.”

Those were the words with which my daughter greeted me last week. She was so enthusiastic about the sport I felt compelled to research it. I discovered that it was invented by Californian Brad Parks in 1977. Parks was participating at a freestyle skiing competition in Utah when he landed on his back on an icebound surface rather than on his skis. As a result of his injury, Parks was paralyzed. Whilst in hospital Parks created wheelchair tennis. 

I thought this was an incredible story about an incredible man. In a way I was amazed that I had never heard of him. Thinking about it though I realised that there are many inventions that I know nothing about and I certainly do not know who was responsible for them. In St Paul’s letter to the Colossian Christians we read about the activity of the invisible God. We do not see God but become aware of God’s presence as a result of what he does. God is working creatively, quietly and invisibly all the time.

We do not see God but we recognise him from his actions by which he is made known. God is at work in our world through people like Brad Parks, through medical researchers and scientists, through ordinary people like us. It is so easy to overlook this and not to give God credit or express appropriate gratitude. Maybe we ought to try and put this right.

Revd Stuart Wild is a Methodist minister who has a wife and three daughters and cannot play tennis.

 

Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by Roots for Churches Ltd.

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