He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27)
Last week, I read a Facebook post that made me chuckle. My friend posed a question: “Are there any of you who regularly talk to
yourself?”
I thought that was funny because it seemed to me the better question
would be, “Are there any of you who don’t regularly talk to yourself?”
There’s always a lot of crosstalk and noise going on in my brain. In fact, if my mind were a television, I think it would look like this…
...several programs playing at once,
some are re-runs, some are previews, all are playing at full volume. The result is that I’m distracted, not only by
what’s going on around me, but by what’s going on within me.
Just like the two travelers on the road to Emmaus, my eyes
are prevented from seeing because I’m distracted by my story, my suffering, my
life. I’m not present.
What does that mean, to be “present?” When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart…all of your soul…all of your mind…and all of your strength.” To be completely there emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, and physically…fully attuned and attentive with every aspect of my being.
I think this is hard to achieve and takes practice. It’s hard to stop the many programs playing
in my mind…but necessary. It’s difficult
to eliminate the distractions…but essential.
It’s seemingly impossible to get out of my story…but I must!
This means practicing a new way of showing up with God. It means prayer is no longer just a time for
making announcements to God. It means opening
a quiet, listening space for the heart.
And once that space is open, the word we
hear can transform us.
What does “word” mean in this context? Maybe it is an actual written or spoken word in our native language, but I’m going to invite you to imagine something bigger.
Think of word as it is used so mystically to open the
Gospel of John: “In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Used this
way, word (“logos” in Greek) refers to the means by which God expresses
God’s self. How does God to that? Where
is that “word” found? And how is it experienced
and understood?
An obvious answer to those questions would be scripture, and there are many who believe that the Bible is the only means by which God
speaks to us—in New International Version English and translated by Americans,
of course! But that makes me wonder…what
word was God using before the printing press?
Of course, we know “the word” – God’s expression of God’s
self – is “spoken” in many ways:
- · through the words and experiences of others written across the centuries…
- · through the stories, questions and answers of other seekers who today are probing and questioning and wondering…
- · through the lives of faithful social justice activists who continue to show us that achieving the "beloved community" comes at a great price…
- · through beautiful music and poetry that reaches down into your wounds, all the way down to your heart…
- · through nature. It was Saint Francis, living long before the written word was widely available, who taught that the "word" was found in creation, our first "Bible."
These are all ways that I am experiencing the word of God…but
only if I’m aware…attentive…present.
If I am mindful of Jesus' teaching that God lives within each
and every one of us, perhaps the place to start the practice of presence is
with those who are closest to us…by loving them with our whole hearts, souls,
minds and strength…and that we are loving God by doing so. What a good Advent practice, to be completely present to
others. We just may hear the word of God in a brand new way.
Scott Elliff
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