20240105 God with us¶
Welcome¶
Good morning, my name is Clifton Bartholomew, and I am a local preacher here at UMC.
It is always so good to share with you all. Welcome again to any visitors and to all our online guests as well.
I always like to say before I preach that I am a teacher by training and so I am very used to being interrupted. If anyone is brave enough to raise their hand and ask a question or give an input, it is warmly welcomed.
Introduction¶
Jab 1 - Long Distance¶
When I was in my late teens, I dated a girl who I had fallen for in a big way. We had only dated 6 months, but I would have done anything for this girl. One thing that was unique about this relationship was that it had an expiry date. We went into the relationship knowing that she was moving to Canada in 6 months. But with the hubris of 2 teenagers, we declared that we would be able to make this work. I would work a bar-tending job and if I saved enough, I could visit once every 6 months.
Needless to say, we broke up like a month or two after she left. In relationships, especially for me, nearness physically/proximity is so important. You can know about a persons day, you can know about what they had to eat, their fears and anxieties; but unless you are with them, it is very difficult to know them. It felt like I had a relationship with my phone.
Jab 2 - The Taste of Honey¶
For me, this was like the difference between reading about honey vs actually tasting it. You can learn all there is to know—how bees make it, the enzymes involved, its nutritional value, even the regions with the best honey. But none of that compares to the moment you actually taste it. The sweetness lingers, the texture coats your tongue, and suddenly, you understand what words and research could never fully convey.
Jab 3 - The Cat¶
I had a realization a couple years ago that I had been approaching my relationship with God in a similar way. I was living a head-based faith, rather than a heart-based/relationship faith. There was this gruesome but incredibly enlightening illustration that I came across that woke me up to this fact:
Right Hook - Knowing about vs knowing¶
What I’m hoping to explore today is the difference between knowing about God vs knowing God. This is one of my goals for this year. My mother brought me up in the church and I marvel at her faith journey. She won't be able to tell you the history of Israel or have debates with you about which denomination has got it right but she is an incredible model for me of someone who lives in deep relationship with God. Everything she does she has this incredible, deep trust in God.
Explanation¶
Today's reading in John is one of my favorite pieces of scripture. It has so much theological depth to it.
There are two concepts that I want to pick out from the reading that really get me excited about the nature of God. That have helped me move my faith primarily from my head and into my heart.
Teaching Point 1 - Logos, the Golden Thread¶
In verses 1-5 we read - In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 From the very beginning the Word was with God. 3 Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him. 4 The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.
John is writing to a Greek audience and here the phrase “The Word” is the translation of the Greek word "Logos", which we don't really have a concept for in English culture. It means something like the Divine Universal Reason or Intelligence that the universe was written out with. It is the energy that drives life forward. How does a cloud know where to move? Logos. How does a rain drop know how to fall? Logos. How does a tree know how to grow? Logos. How does a bird know how to build a nest. Logos. How does my intestine know how to process food? Logos. It was the ultimate intelligence that the philosophers sought to align themselves with and understand. John is saying that Jesus is that thing.
I think this is such a cool concept. We have this Golden Thread of Divine Reason and Intelligence woven into who we are. It has become such an intimate idea for me. And it feels silly, but just reflecting on the intelligence that exists within my body, that I do not consciously control, has helped me to trust in the intelligence in my soul. Reflecting on Logos has helped me to trust in the divine within. It has helped me to answer questions like: - How do I know how to pray? - How do I know how to dream? - How will I know what to say? - How will I know what to do next? - How do I know how to let go? - How do I know how to love again? - How do I know how to forgive? - How do I know how to find joy? - How do I know how to be in a relationship with God?
Teaching Point 2 - Emmanuel¶
In verses 14 we read - The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.
In the NIV it translates as the word became flesh. And is one of the unique doctrines of Christianity: the Doctrine of Incarnation. Emmanuel—God with us. No other faith claims that the Creator of the universe would humble Himself to live among His creation, to feel what we feel, to walk where we walk. God puts on a suite of flesh, like getting into a piece of clothing, stepping into the world as we live it. There is so much vulnerability in this, so much yielding, giving up power, humbling, messy.
In thinking about this I got this vision of a child playing in a sand pit and her father is getting ready to present this huge business proposal, a merger worth billions. He is dressed to the hilt in his fine suite and hair done well. The child asks the father to come play with her in the sand pit before he leaves and without hesitation he gets down on his hands and knees and starts to play, spoiling his suite in the process.
This is the Jewish God, the Christian God. The God who is willing to become flesh. Be with us. There is no other God like this.
Application¶
These two ideas have given me the freedom to lean in to my faith. They have allowed me to gain confidence in developing a real relationship with God. Logos or Jesus as the Word has allowed me to trust in Gods guidance (an in built intelligence that we can tap into) and Emmanuel, God with us, has woken me up to the closeness of God.
A relationship with God is both a complex idea and a really simple one. On one hand, it is a relationship with an unseen entity which may feel incredibly one sided at times (especially in the beginning) but on the other hand it is the most natural thing we can do. I think that the most important task in life is to develop that relationship. And we never stop learning.
So at the start of a new year—a season of fresh beginnings. I thought that now could be a good time to try and incorporate some new ideas/practices into our relationship with God.
I though about three attitudes that we can adopt and maybe you can help build/think of practices surrounding these ideas.
Attitude 1: Surrender¶
This has been one of the single largest contributors in relief of anxiety and depression for me. Surrendering to God in as much as I can. And here, surrender doesn't mean taking your hands completely of the wheel. Surrender means knowing that even though you may hit potholes or dent the car reversing out of the driveway, you will arrive at your destination (even if it wasn't the initial destination where you thought you were going).
Surrender is one of those things that are incredibly hard to start doing, but once you do it, you can't think of another way to live. And these two ideas of Christ as the Golden Thread and Emmanuel have helped in that.
The serenity prayer is a prayer I try to pray daily as it becomes a daily reminder of surrender. I thought I could read it to you now in case you have not heard it before.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Living each day at a time, enjoying each moment at a time. Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace. Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it. Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will. So that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy forever in the next.
After a while, this prayer, this surrender just turns into a deep trust. Signs of NOT surrendering are: - Holding on tightly to one specific outcome. - Obsessively thinking about something. - Carrying a huge weight on your shoulders (and feeling alone). - Being incredibly tense or on edge. - Tightness vs relaxed.
Attitude 2: Play¶
We often take ourselves very seriously, living with the belief that we are the linchpin in many spheres of our lives. I was once at a retreat and this lady during the retreat had this realization: She subconsciously held the belief that she was single handedly holding the company together and would not take time off cause then everything would fall apart. How on earth would the world cope without her? The honest truth is that it will move on just fine.
The attitude of play is about bringing a childlike curiosity into all that we do. In work, relationships, finance, but most importantly into our faith. We are all bumbling apes with pants on trying to get through life. We shouldn't get stuck with trying to constantly to things the right way. There are many right ways and HOW we do something is often more important than WHAT we do.
- Are you being too hard on yourself?
- Are you waiting for the right conditions to start?
- Are you afraid of the outcomes?
Attitude 3: Be Still¶
We have access to the Golden Thread of Divine Reason and Intelligence woven into who we are. It is like a super power. And the only entry point that I have found in accessing it is through stillness.
You will be amazed at how many solutions to your problems that you are facing can be found just sitting in Gods presence. It is like magic, "God, what should I do with XYZ?". Thoughts start to surface from deep within. Some of them are rubbish or silly but I have yet to find a time where I don't get an answer. And often it is something that I have to do that makes me uncomfortable like apologize or stop being lazy and work.
- Are you forcing something at the moment?
- Are you stuck in a certain area?
- Do you feel that you are lacking creativity or direction?
So this is my hope as we step into this new year, that we can learn to surrender to God, to play in the freedom of His love, and to be willing to be still in order to access his divine wisdom. In doing so, may we move from knowing about God to truly knowing Him, not as a distant figure, but as Emmanuel—God with us.
Amen