Friday's Thoughts

"The Experience of a Lifetime"

One of the most difficult questions to answer is the theological question. The question that is hard is, "What is your idea of God?" The range for the answers to that question is wide. There are traditionalist theologians who believe God is a mystery and beyond our understanding.

Some theologians think of God as the "Ground of our being" or "being itself" and they will argue that you must not speak of God as if God were a person or found within the material world as an entity beyond it. God is not a being; God is being itself.

Some theologians think of God as a process that is "calling us forward" from our world of self-interest to a life of self-serving and love. They think of God as a part of the matrix of life itself. We are "lured" by God and not coerced by God as an arbitrary power over us.

Some see God as a force of liberation and God is most present in the struggle for freedom and dignity.

Some will say the God is ineffable. We cannot know what God is and we cannot speak of God with any accuracy.

"What is God?" is a difficult question.

People have trouble answering that question. People don't have any trouble answering the question, "Where do you experience God in your life?"

Some some it was at the time a baby was born. For others it is what happens when they stand in the wilderness looking at the stars at night. For others it's the sense of love between people.

Where to you experience God in your life? John Wesley lifted up experience as a resource of faith. He knew that the experience of God is an important part of what it means to live fully and meaningfully.

Where do you experience God?

If you have thoughts and responses on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts click on the box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster