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Friends United Meeting |
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December 1998
The Incarnation Continues
By Bruce Bishop
I believe the Church has been talking about God for long enough now. We're due for a change. People know enough about God. They know what God likes and what God doesn't and how God would generally want them to live their lives. It seems, to us and to them, that we just keep repeating ourselves. As I said, we've been talking about God for long enough now.
It's time to stop talking about God, and start getting our kids and neighbors and friends in touch with God. It's time to help them taste and see that the Lord is good. Not "sit and think," But taste and see!
If we're pretty excited about introducing a friend of ours to someone, we might talk about it for awhile, telling our friend all about this new person and how great they are. But if we never got around to actually introducing them, our friend would get pretty tired of the same old stories.
It's the relationship that is important, not the knowledge.
Sure, this makes sense, but it gets pretty tricky when you start talking about God. How do you actually introduce someone to the Spirit of Christ?!
The most significant way, I believe, is to model the relationship. The first question, if you are serious about moving your circle of influence past the "intellectualization" of Christianity, is to ask yourself if you feel you are experiencing intimacy with Christ. Christian mysticism is about spirit meeting spirit, and a bond being formed.
The most important task you can do as an ambassador for Christ, is to spend time hanging out with God yourself. Even if it cuts into time that you wanted to spend in "ministry." Spending some time enjoying God's presence, aware that God is enjoying yours at the same time, will do more for those around you, than any words you could work up. If you have a sense of intimacy with Christ, you will be able to do more than just talk about God.
Creating some guidelines for personal "sabbath time" with the Lover of your life will be a significant ministry to those in your circle of influence. Six years ago I made a commitment to spend one morning a week out at a retreat center for reading and meditation. It has become the center of my entire week. Everything revolves around that time of encounter. At our camps this summer, and our youth leadership retreats known as "Samuel Schools," we encouraged our kids to try journaling, guided prayers, scripture meditation and silence to help them set the scene for hanging out with God. Perhaps you could give these a try as well.
Once you feel that you are developing a mystical, intimate sense of who God is in your life, you can better "be Christ" in the lives of those around you. God has allowed us to be partners in ministry. God works through us to reach those in our daily lives with Christ's love and acceptance.
The Incarnation was introduced and achieved its fullness in the person of Jesus Christ, but the process continues within our own lives. The Spirit of Christ that found human expression 2000 years ago continues to work through lives that are surrendered to Christ.
The Incarnation continues!
The Spirit of Christ dwells within us and pursues our friends through our hands and mouths, our hugs and smiles. We are a team of "Presence People," bringing the Presence of God into the everyday contacts we have with people for whom we care.
As you dwell in Christ, taking time to "taste and see," you allow Christ to reach out of your life and into the life of that one person you spoke to last week. Small events and quick conversations suddenly become powerful incarnational events. We introduce our friends to Christ, taking them beyond the intellectual, when we treat them as we know Christ is asking us to treat them; when we bring Christ into the encounter through our own presence.
Don't talk about Christ with your friends, be Christ for them!
Bruce Bishop is youth superintendent for Northwest Yearly Meeting.
Copyright (c) 1998 Friends United Meeting
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