Faith Venture

I’m going to be studying the Gospel of Luke for the next few months. Every time you go back and study something you’ve already thoroughly studied, you still find new insights. The idea that fascinates me right now is what do you do after a spiritual experience (called “enlightenment” in some traditions). I was influenced by the meditation experience that swept through the country in the late 60s, and I’ve been meditating and studying that ever since. There are many reasons to meditate, but many people think the goal is “enlightenment” or hearing the voice of God directly. When this happens, does life stop? Acutally, no. Perhaps your spiritual experience came at the evening campfire during Tar Hollow or other church camp. Same thing. What do you do afterward?

So, in the third chapter Luke reports on John (the Baptist). John had a spiritual experience, “a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living out in the wilderness.” This message compelled John to talk to others about his new knowledge–we call that preaching. His fundamental message was that others should get right with God–“turn from your sins.” So our first goal in life is to put all of our trust in God and listen for God’s guidance and insight. But then we also must show the fruits of this trust and insight by how we live. By the way, this is an individual experience. You don’t inherit it (“God can make sons of Abraham from these stones”). You have to take responsibility for your own life and search out God on your own.

Your life will change when this happens, John says. And you will now live your life for others. “If you have two coats, give one to ther poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry. …Show your honesty. Don’t extort money.” These were some of the examples that John gave.

Mother Teresa evidently had just one moving experience of Jesus, but she followed the message with a lifetime of service to some of the poorest of the poor. In America we are so blessed with abundance. Giving to those less fortunate is one response that John would approve. The American obsession of living for ourselves would draw his wrath, just as the similar “we’ve got ours, let them get theirs” mentality drew his wrath in his own time.

–Gary

Tags: Christianity, Ethics, Spirituality

This entry was posted on July 6, 2008 at 11:40 am and is filed under Christianity, Ethics, Spirituality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.