Sermons

We spend a lot of time and energy trying to find God. And we spend even more time and energy trying to describe what we find. Biblical scholars devote their lives to dissecting the smallest of scriptural details. Theologians produce countless elegantly composed treatises on every imaginable subject. Church leaders fret over intricately worded doctrinal statements. Preachers (like me) spend untold hours preparing weekly sermons on a wide variety of topics. And such efforts certainly have their place. Part of what it means to be human is that we try to make sense of our experiences. We are "meaning-making" creatures.

But I also know that one of the most powerful ways in which I experience God's presence in my life is by paying attention to what is going on around me all the time. Watching for wonder helps me be in touch with a profoundly intimate connection with the sacred. I discover a sense of who I am and where I fit in the grand picture of God. Experiencing life through the lens of wonder provides some protection against the dangers of becoming overwhelmed by the painful realities which can seem so all-consuming. It offers us another way to approach our living - a path which is filled with meaning and purpose and joy.
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We want life to be nice and neat and tidy. We want it to be comfortable and easy. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work out that way much of the time. In fact, often as not it is messy and confusing and sometimes downright painful. And we would really rather avoid it if we could. Except what we discover is that it is precisely in the midst of the whole messy, confusing, painful business of living where we find meaning and purpose and direction. It is here where we meet God.
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There is an old saying that life is what happens while we're waiting for something else to come along. God is at work in the midst of us all the time, but if we don't pay attention we run a very good chance of missing it. The story of Jesus' encounter with the ten people with leprosy is a great illustration of this truth. It is so rich and textured and multi-layered. And at each step along the way, paying attention (or not) makes all the difference.
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