John 4:21-24
“Believe me, woman, the time is
coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this
mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we
Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made
available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact,
come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship
will not matter.
“It’s who you are and the way you live that
count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of
truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those
who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God
is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of
their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Today
we pause to remember the people who perished in the terroristic attacks
on the World Trade Center exactly 15 years ago. We think of the family
members and friends who were left to grieve and suffer…the survivors
who spent hours/days/weeks/months/years recuperating and physically
recovering to some degree. We pray for all who were affected…and
weren’t we ALL affected in some way?
As I read this scripture
passage, it struck me that the God I love…the God I trust and serve each
and every day…was the same God that many – if not most of us - prayed
to and sought in the midst of this horrific event. There has been much
talk about how the events of 9/11 brought us together as a country…and I
think to some degree, this is true. We didn’t see color, race, ethnic
background, gender, sexual identity, socio-economic level, intellect, or
even political leanings. We just saw people who were frightened,
hurting and suffering…people who had great needs and endured tremendous
losses…people who were “just like us” in so many fundamental ways. We
asked God to meet them right where they were…and I believe He did just
that.
We reached out…we served in the name of Jesus…we sent aid
of all kinds…and we genuinely expressed sympathy and empathy for these
victims and their extended “families.” We didn’t give it a second
thought, really…we just knew that this was what the God we worshipped
and adored wanted of us…and we did it.
I don’t know what
shifted…or really why…but we have lost a good deal of this honest and
simple faith and servitude in recent years. We’ve become skeptical,
cynical, and self-absorbed. Even worse, we have become elitist…the God
we serve is OUR God. His reach cannot possibly encompass those who are
different from us in even the slightest way. We are like the college
kid who makes good grades so Mom and Dad will keep sending money…we
serve God out of a sense of duty, obligation, and fear that to do
otherwise would result in a disconnect of sorts from His blessings and
rewards in our lives.
As devastating as the events of 9/11 were,
God brought about so many good things. Every time our country goes
through a crisis, we seem to rally just a bit – though not as much as we
did fifteen years ago. But it shouldn’t take a catastrophe to gather us
to God…and I pray that we don’t fall into the pattern of only turning
to Him and embracing one another when the unthinkable happens.
Where
does this leave us? Are we simply and honestly ourselves before God and
others? Are we serving God with a spirit of inclusiveness and
adoration? Do we desire that ALL PEOPLE cultivate a relationship with
God…and are we doing everything in our power to share His Spirit with
the masses? Are you a reactionary who only reaches out to others in the
midst of a crisis…or do others see your heart for Jesus – and ALL who
God has created – each and every day?
Will this anniversary serve
as a reminder that God sent Jesus for EVERYONE…and not just you and
me? Will you live in a way that this is evident to others? Don’t you
think you should?
©2016 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment