Yesterday, you let loose your inner theologian by talking about God,
Jesus, the Spirit, humanity, church, and blessedness/brokenness. Remember, this is not some assignment to turn
in and forget; it is the work of our entire lives. It is good to look both at our responses to
questions and the very questions themselves.
Here is another set of prompts to help you think about how you think
about God:
What do I believe
about God/a higher power?
What was your
earliest image of God? Compare that to
images of God today.
What does it mean to
me to be successful as a human being?
What comes into my
mind/heart/stir in my soul when I hear the phrase, “a good life”?
Perhaps this set of
questions awakens new thoughts about God.
I, especially, find the last two questions meaningful, if we are willing
to be earnest, honest, and vulnerable.
Because you are reading this Morning Meditation, written by a pastor,
your inner Sunday School student may want to say, “A successful human serves
God with joy.” Or maybe you studied Westminster
Catechism (which is a set of questions about faith and answers to those
questions) as a teenager. The first
question in that book is, “What is the chief end of (hu)man beings?” The response is, “To glorify God and enjoy
(him/her/them).” Wait. Linger with me on this. How does that question and response land in
you? Maybe you are frustrated and
flummoxed by the language of the question.
I get that. Maybe you even think
it is the wrong question. I get
that. Maybe you want to raise your hand
and ask, “How do I glorify God? What are
the benchmarks or key performance indicators that will be evaluated by St.
Peter at the Pearly Gates of Heaven?” I
don’t know. When we grow up in a church
where every question has an answer in a Catechism book, it can do two
things. First, it can teach us that if
we disagree with the answer, we have no room in the church. This breaks my heart. Second, it can teach us that every question
in faith must have an answer, which it does not. There is mystery in our lives. Part of the mystery is coming back to
questions of faith, setting in dialogue our lives and our beliefs that were
handed/shaped by the past and need to continually be updated to the
future. Your faith, like an
Apple/Samsung phone, is continually getting software updates. This week, we are seeing what the latest
version of software for our minds/hearts/souls and lives is needed for this
time and place. I pray you are finding
moments of joy in exploring your faith and being a theologian this week. Amen.
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