Where do you meet God?
Dear friends and members of St. Matt's,
On Saturday (1/25), the church will celebrate the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. On this day, we hear the story of Paul's vision on the desert road to Damascus - when the bright light of Christ appears to him, changes his mind, changes his life, and leaves him blind. Yes, the light of Christ is so bright that Paul is left blind - unable to see - until he is willing to give over his life to Jesus. And then, his sight is restored.
For Paul, this is a stunning encounter - a moment frozen in time, a moment that changes everything - even his name. Once Saul, the proud Pharisee who stood against the early church and claimed Jesus was a fraud - then suddenly Paul, the great Apostle who's words and witness have continued to shape generations of the faithful. Everything changed in just a moment of clarity - a moment of meeting Jesus. And there is so much good that happens, so many lives and communities built up, so much good news shared because Paul sees and then follows.
Last night at Pub Theology, 22 people gathered to talk about where we meet God. And there were some really amazing stories told at those tables. Some of us meet God in worship, others in the woods, others in our neighbors, and still others in music, art, water, and travel. For many people this meeting is a visceral, emotional, or physical meeting. And for others it's deeply tied to thought, reason, and transformation. One of our questions was about the ways we long to meet God - where and how we think we should be able to access God's presence and the ache or frustration that comes when it doesn't work out the way we'd like. For most of us, these moments don't manifest as concretely as they do for Paul, and yet - there's time and space as long as we are living to be surprised by God if our eyes and hearts are open. As always, it's a privilege to hear these stories - and to sit at these tables with you as you share your experiences and wade deeply into sacred conversations.
Where and how have you met God? Where in your life are you longing for God's presence? Are there spaces and places, particular practices, pieces of art or music that help you to connect? And what do you do after the meeting? Are you able, like Paul, to hand your life over again to Jesus? What goodness can you and God bring into the world with this life transformed? I'm always glad to be your companion in exploration and conversation partner.
It won't surprise you to know that I very often meet God in you. I see so much transformation in our life together and in the lives of many among us - so much good being shared. And I'm looking forward to telling you about some of that in our meeting on February 2nd. Come be part of our story, part of our meeting God - please note the 9:00am worship time followed by the Annual Meeting on 2/2. In the meantime, I hope to see you on Sunday. And until then, God loves you - and so do I.
Faithfully,
--Marissa +
Tags: Welcome from the Rector