First Presbyterian Church
The Santuary was perfect. I loved the soft blue "floating" ceiling and the tall clear glass windows ... The shutters were open, streaming Southern sunlight. Seems like we all warmed to the entire experience. The two Presbyterian churches have been the real stand out services/congregations for me thus far, and I am totally surprised. One of my buddygirls is the wife of a Presby minister ... she laughingly refers to the fellowship as the chosen frozen or the other way around. Theirs is not a local fellowship. Both of these groups have seemed very embracesive ... ernest. The people who choose to congregate in the pews definitely affect the worship climate.
I wanted to transfer my sermon notes to here, because the talk was particularly interesting. It was, for me, a significant look at something I was "prepped" to see. I like that the very same verses may open up differently from one time to another. In this sense I can see the Bible as a living word, and I carefully believe in the intimacy offered within that context. Hmmm, that probably doesn't make sense. What I am trying to express is ... experiencing this word is dynamic and interactive ... I think it's read to death when seen as only black and white. I think it is more then a book. That's off topic though for what I have time for today. I wanted to note this to remember later. It was a different slant, but it resonated.
Scripture, first "reading" Psalm 111 ... On the Bonhoeffer list of "praying the Psalms" under wisdom.
V10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments.
I have made notes previously about how I think fear is to be understood ... hmmm, I can't create jumps in the text, but ... I want to re-read that ... Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Eccl 12:13 ... With fear meaning to stand in awe of, respect, honor, in other words, the relationship the creator has in mind, and the one I would therefore "find" most fulfilling if only I weren't given to foolishness. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 Fear -> 5 February 2011)
Second reading, Mark 1:21-28 Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit in Capernaum. Heard/Read the "story" many times ... totally "know" it.
Here's the brief: a guy in the synagogue where Jesus was teaching was "possessed" by an impure spirit who recognized Christ, and spoke through the guy. Creepy. Then ... Jesus commanded the impure spirit to come out of him and it did. The congregation saw this as a sign of Jesus' authority. Creepy story ... Really glad I wasn't there to see that! Happy for the guy. Glad the group in the synagogue got the download, "Jesus is The Christ". I believe that without the creep factor ... on to the next story.
On to the next story until yesterday morning, when the living word of God very sweetly backed my little goofy self up for a re-look.
Here's what the preacher made of those scriptures.
* Prayer is (also) opening oneself to God's healing.
* Sometimes unclean, unhealthy, unholy is woven in.
* Hard to "throw out" what is unholy and accept what is holy.
* Jesus has the authority to do that for/in us when we are ready to respond with trust and obedience.
* This woven in is hard to see.
* Pray to be perceptive.
Perceptive is another word for wisdom, isn't it?
That guy, the guy possessed by an unclean spirit, has always been someone I could see across the room ... preferably, W A Y over there in the creepy seats.
Turns out I have some creepy woven in. Uh, oh. I have some "unholy" ... probably bunches and bunches of unholy.
In the day to day life that I can actually see myself living, I am experiencing how confusing and complex it is to let stuff go. There's stuff I want. At the same time, I know how amazingly cool the "places" which can be seen only by "letting go" are. Yeah. People think an adrenaline rush is cool. I'm learning that letting go is the ultimate rush. It's just harder to do with the essential you then stepping your body off a ledge, or pulling Gs, or ... .
Well, that's what I'm trying to think about today. I can already see some "unholy" woven in ... woven in like I want to seek warmth or shelter there ... not good. I took some scraps to patch my tattered quilt ... and those scraps helped keep me from freezing to death, but ... I made them unholy. It's interesting. I can elevate (or diminish) something useful, beneficial and good, to a place where it becomes harmful.
Time to sand a door.
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