OVER THE RAINBOW
We started our first session in the series HERE AND NOW, about knowing the reality of God’s closeness, by explaining that it is fundamental to our way of thinking about expressions of church.
We said that experiencing God’s reality does not depend on special formats like worship meetings so anywhere any time we take him seriously we can communicate with him and know his presence.
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God says: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)
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Jesus said: Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20 NRSV)
If that is true we have to treat claims to invite God’s presence with some caution though people may just be suggestion that we pay attention to him, though if God is here and we have to be told to pay attention to him then we are obviously missing something. That’s a lot worse that my attempt to walk through the Duke of Edinburgh. But that’s another story.
Yesterday morning we pushed on a bit to develop two more ideas:
AWARENESS OF GOD ISN’T INTENDED TO HAPPEN OVER THE RAINBOW BUT HERE AND NOW. We think if we are happy we will be able to connect with God better.In fact that is putting the cart before the horse.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
We can be aware of God here and now though it may involve some effort.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->David said to his son Solomon: If you seek him he will be found by you (1Chronicles 28:9)
<!--[if !supportLists]-->James says: Come close to God and he will come close to you (James 4:8)
WE MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR OURSELVES BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT DEVELOPED THE EYES OF OUR HEART WHICH ARE NECESSARY TO SEE SPIRIT RATHER THAN STUFF.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24)
This inner awareness gets hinted at in lots of places
<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. (Daniel 7:1)
<!--[if !supportLists]-->Paul prays that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened (Ephesians 1:18)
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