when god, the people & the pastor, connect

when god, the people & the pastor connect, it is a holy mystery. i can't really explain it, but i know it at a very deep level, when such a holy mystery happens. perhaps it is not even meant to be explained; maybe that is the true nature of such an event. perhaps even in trying to explain or define that kind of holy mystery, we become cumbersome, and the moment becomes muddled.

so, i won't try to explain -- only that this holy mystery seemed to have happened during worship on sunday; particularly during the message. at least that seems to be the feedback received, and a number of people who asked for bits and pieces of the message...and that's why i know something happened, certainly beyond my abilities. a holy moment; god, the people & the pastor all connecting. wha-hoo!

the idea for the message focused on taking our authority as progressive christians and was based on the gospel of mark 1:21-28, dealing with the concept that when jesus is involved with life, miracles do happen! the idea for the theme was based upon an illustration from (now retired) pastor bob olmstead; i adapted the illustration (see below), and used that concept throughout the message. the concept is that we can never do what jesus does, but jesus says 'o yes you can'. with appreciation, i utilized bob's illustration and ran with it, or rather, let the holy spirit work in and through me, continuing to work through the congregation to empower us and deepen our faith understanding into the week ahead.

the adapted illustration was this: a clerk in an upscale hotel greeted an unimpressive guest late one night, who was seeking a room. the clerk, realizing their hotel had a reputation to uphold, turned the potential sleepy guest away. the manager witnessed the situation, and alerted the clerk that this was someone famous. trying to rectify the situation, the clerk called to the guest, saying, “I apologize. why didn’t you tell me you were somebody?” but upon leaving, the sleepy guest turned and replied, "you do realize, don’t you, that everybody is somebody.”

i went on to say "in that moment, we can begin to see how evil, however unintentional, is planted and has the potential to take root. if the sleepy guest had not responded with that kind of assertive authority -- we might even call it the ‘authority of Jesus’ -- evil could have grown in that sleepy guest like an impure/unclean spirit, causing very destructive behavior". jesus invites us to be dis-lodged of our own impurities, and then with his authority and nature, share this 'good news' with others.

after prayerful consideration i concluded the message with how we can prepare ourselves to respond with the authority of jesus. they are, of course, based upon the kind of ministry in merced that we feel jesus is calling us to -- and perhaps jesus is calling you to this kind of ministry too!

so, are you ready? be careful what you ask for! the top 10 ways (a la david letterman) to dis-lodge an unclean spirit within ourselves (first) and (then) others are:

#10 -- be joyful; an unclean spirit hates joy!
#9 -- greet one another with the authority of christ; the jesus in me meets the jesus in you.
#8 -- take an active role in developing your own spiritual life; that is so important! study, prayer, service -- take the time to be with god and with god's people.
#7 -- invite another person to take an active role in developing her or his spiritual life; be a mentor, or study together within a small group or sunday school class.
#6 -- invite another person to be in service with you; for wherever two or more are gathered together in god's name, jesus is in the midst of that moment!
#5 -- pray; silently, out loud, read the psalms, join the tuesday centering prayer gathering, become an intercessor; practice, practice, practice; and when all else fails, just open yourself up and listen for god.
#4 -- live with critical thinking (not to be confused with being critical) through john wesley's quadrilateral -- scripture, tradition, reason & experience. if you need a fresh understanding of what they are about, let me know....
#3 -- live your day as if you were in the presence of god (because, after all, you are!).
#2 -- be an example; be bold; let the goodness of god work through you!
And the #1 thing you can do to dis-lodge the unclean spirit within yourself and others is to: be of good courage! even when others think you might be wrong or disassociate themselves from you, remember that to speak or live the love of god gives you the authoritative power to overcome whatever evil becomes you!

so, there you have it...god's connection with us...is that awesome or what?!