Learning to Live in Amazement
Proper 12B
Ephesians 3:14-21, John 6:1-21
7/26/2009
Jim Melnyk

I came across a one-sentence quote from theologian Abraham Heschel the other day. He wrote, “Religion is the art of learning to live with amazement.” “Religion is the art of learning to live with amazement.” I found myself saying, “Yes – and perhaps the life of faith is also about learning to live with amazement.” And then I re-read today's passage from Ephesians – and I was filled with, of all things, amazement!
        
The first three chapters of Ephesians are a mix of theology and prayer while the final chapters are more about practical instruction in the faith. The author, most likely a disciple of Paul's writing after the apostle's death – offers in today's passage an incredible “prayer report” to the church in Ephesus. And while I have issues with some of the author's ideas later in the epistle (especially parts of his theology of marriage), I found myself blown away as I sat down and read through the words we heard read a few moments ago. I found myself wondering, “How is it that I so routinely forget how incredible the Bible can be?”
        
The stories of our faith speak of a God who is infinitely intimate with creation – if that in itself doesn't sound like a paradox – God infinitely intimate with creation! Ours is a faith that proclaims a God who not only desires our love, but who first and foremost loves us – and who, as the author of Ephesians writes earlier in the book, gives us access to God in boldness and with confidence! Wow – that idea of an infinitely intimate God had to blow a few minds in the first century Hellenistic world – and I imagine it certainly sounds out of place to many twenty-first century philosophers.

I know it has to foreign to atheists we've read about in the News & Observer earlier this week – a group of folks who practice a rather self-confessed sophomoric rite of de-baptism (July 23, 2009 Life Section). Perhaps this idea of an infinitely intimate God is even a bit foreign to many twenty-first century Christians as well! Talk about the “art of learning to live in amazement!”

I suspect there are many Christians who would, for perhaps many different reasons, flinch at the suggestion that religion, or the life of faith, or the stories of our faith are about the “art” of learning to live in any sense of the word – let alone in amazement. One might say that art is such a subjective expression of the human spirit. What I may see as art you might see as junk – or the other way around. To say that experiencing life in God is in some way art may sound too subjective to the Biblical literalist or the religious fundamentalist – it may sound threatening to those who need rock-solid assurances and air-tight answers to the questions of their faith – that is, when they're allowed to ask questions.
        
And while today's passage from Ephesians blew my mind upon reading it again earlier this week – and especially while reading it out loud to myself – I suspect many others hearing this passage perhaps stifled a yawn, or even suppressed an “oh, please!” as the author spoke about the inner self being strengthened with power through God's Spirit, or the love of Christ surpassing knowledge, or being filled with the fullness of God – perhaps thinking it's all just a bit too religious sounding for some of us – or a bit too mystical – or too personal – or too anthropomorphic – for an educated, modern understanding of God. Perhaps we spend too much time in our heads – turning the life of faith into an exercise of intellectual encounters with stories that were designed – stories that were created – stories that were envisioned – to fire our imaginations, to awaken our hopes and dreams, and to fill us with a sense of amazement.
        
The author of Ephesians knows that the reign of God – the kingdom of God – the communion of God – won't come by way of a well-turned phrase, a thought-provoking story, or by slight of hand. As Robert Farrar Capon writes, God's reign won't come about by “miraculous, Band-Aid interventions: a storm calmed here, a crowd fed there, [Peter's] mother-in-law cured back down the road a piece, [or even a bit of fancy footwork above the waves]” (The Parables of the Kingdom, page 24).
        
God comes into this world in a wild paradox of power. The true mystery of God's reign has nothing to do with the ability of Jesus to feed a few thousand folks or skip across the deep blue Sea of Galilee. The true mystery of God's reign is a Savior in the person of Jesus who finds himself surrounded by incredible need, and incredible hunger for God, and is filled with the love, and the compassion, and the desire to act. The power of Jesus comes not because he has the ability to act – to build picnics out of thin air (or out of a few loaves and a couple of fish) – or to walk across the waves – but because Jesus has the heart and the will to act; to act on behalf of the people of God in every age – wherever and whenever they are in need.
        
The author of the letter to the Ephesians understands this – and understands that the power of Jesus is his ability to touch people's lives – to empower people's lives – and to kindle our imaginations and amazement – moving us to be Christ in the world for others. The author understands what it means to find ourselves strengthened in our inner beings with power through the Spirit of God.
        
This is the power of the Christian faith and witness to the world – that the God of all creation – the God who somehow at the root of all things brings all things into being – that this God dwells in our hearts by faith. This I find truly amazing!
        
Through God in Christ we are rooted and grounded in love! That, my friends is the Gospel – the Good News. Through God in Christ we are rooted and grounded in love! Find ourselves rooted and grounded in love, and there is power within us that is the fullness of God made alive! Find the world rooted and grounded in love – and well, that's the reign of God – that's the hope of God – that's the dream of God – made real!
        
Allow yourselves to be amazed by the living Christ dwelling within you. Allow yourselves to be amazed at the ability of the Spirit of God to dwell within you – to strengthen you – to strengthen your inner being – the ability of God to root you – to ground you – in love. Allow yourselves to know the love of God in Christ – a love that surpasses all knowledge – allow yourselves to be filled with the fullness of God. It's beyond amazing. Because once we allow ourselves to experience that fullness of God filling us and dwelling within us – then that power of the living Christ can be at work within us – and once at work within us we can find ourselves accomplishing more than we ever dreamed possible.
        
This Sunday we begin a four-week mini-cycle of readings from John's Gospel – readings that have to do with Jesus, who is the bread of life – that have to do with God sustaining us and nourishing us in the midst of our loneliness, our brokenness, our hunger – both physical and spiritual in nature. The letter to the Ephesians reminds us not to get too caught up in the nitty-gritty of the stories' details – but to recognize the power of God at work in the life and teachings of Jesus – to recognize in us today the power of God at work through bread and wine – through the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within.
        
Be amazed! Be very, very amazed. Carry the words from Ephesians in your hearts. Let them be a mantle about your shoulders and a crown upon your foreheads! Live into the reality of their promise of God's presence in your heart, in your mind, and in your soul. Live with the amazement of what it means to be nourished with the Bread of Life made known to us in Jesus of Nazareth – and live out that amazement in your lives with thanksgiving! Amen.
        

©2009 Jim Melnyk