Where's Waldo?

Sunday, February 8, 2015

When Jane and I were in Florida last month we were sitting around the dinner table with another couple, the wine was flowing, and the talked turned to retirement. I was asked, What would you do if you could retire?”

My answer was I’d lay in a hammock suspended between two coconut trees along the beach and I would alternate between two things: napping and reading Shakespeare.

These days, I don’t really make time to read for pleasure, but when I find something compelling, well, I just can’t put it down. Here’s the latest book to catch my attention:

Where’s Waldo? Well, Waldo is amongst the people. He is resident amongst the everyday and the author of the book assures us that Waldo is present on every page of the book.

Jane has a natural ability to spot four-leaf clovers. I think the correct description of that skill is, pattern recognition.

Finding Waldo can require patience and persistence… unless you have “pattern recognition” and then it’s easier… you expect see Waldo (or, what appears to be hidden) clearly and quickly.

How do we “see” the world and personal events? We see them through our consciousness, through what we expect to see.

In the Colorado, where the Broncos play football, two people can watch the same game and see proof that supports their perspective whether they are amongst the detractors who see them as, “The Donkeys” or the avid supporters who are sure they will win every game this year including the Super Bowl.  We see what we expect to see and we will see the same things over and over, according to our expectations until we change what we choose to be conscious of. Once we change our consciousness, our way of thinking, then where we expected to see one thing, we now expect another.

Last week I suggested that when we don’t know who we are we try to create an image, and we work diligently to perfect the image that we project into the world as “me.” And I also suggested that this illusory self-image will be drawn from something the world holds as dear: money, intelligence, our sense of humor, the way we look, our skill at getting what we want from other people, how religious we are, how athletic we are, how good we are with money, how well we’re doing in school, or for instance, the amount of power we yield.

One seeming attribute of human nature is that we seem to “stick to our level,” economically, socially, and perhaps even according to the level of worldly power we have.

Let’s briefly look at the Hebrew Bible story about Naaman. Naaman was the leader of the Syrian Army, successful, powerful, and in great favor with his King. In 2 Kings 5:1-15 we read, “Now on one of their raids they had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel and she served Naaman’s wife.” So here we have this young woman, a captive from a successful raid on neighboring Israel serving as a slave in the household of Naaman and his wife.

Well, Naaman has all this power and wealth and the poor, old guy discovers he has leprosy. This is not a good thing for a man of position and authority.

The slave girl says to her mistress, the wife of Naaman, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” This prophet in Samaria is Elisha (Elisha is regarded by Bible commentators as a forerunner of Jesus. His character and works, his gentleness and simplicity run parallel to Jesus. Jesus is regarded, though, as more fully manifesting the Spirit of God. Elisha, though, is a Master of Life in his own time.)

Through a series of events, Elisha invites Naaman to come to him for healing. 2 Kings tells us, “Naaman came with his horses and his chariots.” In other words, his entourage, and because he was a man of great power I imagine he projected a formidable presence.

Once he gets to Elisha’s, Elisha’s servant comes out to address Naaman. I’m imagining it occurring this way. The servant pokes his head out the door and says, “Are you Naaman? Yes? Ok, “Go was in the Jordan seven times and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.”” And he shuts the door in Naaman’s face. (Slam!)

“But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord, his God and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy.” Then he goes on to complain that rivers in Syria are much nicer than all the waters of Israel and he stomps off defiantly.

So what is occurring here? The high and mighty expects to Elisha to make a spectacle over him and heal him. But Elisha sends out a servant… a lowly, common servant carries the message of healing.

To wrap this story up Naaman’s own servants says to him, in effect, “If the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, you’d have done that. He gave you something easy to do, so why not do it?” Naaman goes down to the Jordan, bathes seven times and is cured.

So what do you think? Is God present in the mass of the everyday, like Waldo, or in the showy moments of power and prestige?

Clearly God is present in both. In this Bible story we see that the healing message is carried by, is present with, the everyday persons. My interpretation is that God is present in the everyday-ness of life. Naaman, with his power and superior attitude eventually listens and hears the healing word present in the everyday. He had a hard time spotting it, but it was there.

God, just like Waldo, is present among the mass of humanity… even when you have a difficult time spotting “Him.”

I have to ask you, “What are you expecting. Where do you expect to find God?

Maybe we’re like Namaan and expect something loud and flashy and showy; dramatic. Or worse, maybe we’ve lost heart and don’t expect anything anymore. Either way, I want you to know that God is present and in our midst.

Now, I’m willing to admit, uncovering the blocks to the awareness of God’s Presence can be really hard work. It requires patience. It requires intentionality. It requires, I believe, a regular spiritual practice…and a decision to have faith in God’s promise that “He” is present on every page of the book of your life. God is here. God is present and in your midst.

Seek to become aware of the Presence of God and you will. Expect to see this presence… and you will, for no one can fail who seeks the Presence of God.

(Thank you again to Father John Newton for his idea and words, used without permission (because I couldn’t find him)).

Who Do You Think You Are?

Sunday, February 1, 2015

          The first thing I’d like you to do, if you are willing, is to take out the announcements insert and write down the numbers 1 through 4 as though you were making a list.

          We’re going to play a game I learned from a priest named John Newton.

1.     Write down a verb, in its past tense, and ending with “ed.” (A verb is an action word. It can pretty much be any word ending with the letters “ed” that signifies something that happened in the past)

2.     The name of someone you admire

3.     Adjective (A word that describes something: tall, blue, rugged, etc.)

4.     Noun (Person, place, or thing)

Since I saw you last I’ve been to Unity Village and back. While I was there this week I served on a team of ministers that interview and evaluate current students. In general terms we evaluate their progress in two areas: their ability to define Unity principles and how they use them in their lives, and, self-awareness.

Part of self-awareness includes defining our True Nature. We look for evidence of movement from the intellectual concept of our True Nature… to an experience and expression of it.

Now let’s put those four words you wrote down words into this sentence:

I am one ___ by ___. This is my ___ self. Every other identity is a (an) ___.

The four words I chose when I did this were: lighted, Abraham Lincoln, large, and boat.

Would anyone else like to share their “definition” of who they are?

Obviously, these definitions are ridiculous. They doesn’t even make sense. At the core of your being, this isn’t who you are. If someone were to say, “Who are you?” your answer wouldn’t be “I’m one lighted by Abraham Lincoln.” In terms of defining your identity, that’s a ridiculous way to fill in the blank. But how should you fill in the blank? I am _____. Who are you?

We might answer I’m a minister. I’m a business student. I’m an athlete. I’m a factory worker. I’m a retiree, I’m the president of the Indianapolis chapter of the New England Patriots fan club.

At the core of our being, our identity – who we are – can’t be tied to any of these things. Because what happens if we deliver a bad Sunday talk? Or graduate and can’t find a job? Who are we going to be then? A bad minister? An unemployed ex business student? I know that I do not want to see myself as I am not.

The facts are that you and I have hard time standing firm, first, in the knowledge and then in the experience and expression of who we are. And typically when we’re not sure who we are, we panic and start filling in the blanks in ridiculous ways. After all, we have to be someone. And so we make our life about perfecting an image. We find something the world values – money, power, our intellect, our sense of humor, the way we look, our skill at getting what we want from other people, how religious we are, how well we’re doing in school – and we build our identity around that. We make our life about perfecting an image. The only problem is, always working to perfect our image is competitive and exhausting, and before we know it, our lives become motivated by fear; fear of not measuring up. Fear of not living up to the expectations of others. Fear of losing our sense of self-worth. And a person driven by fear can’t see anything beyond or behind the image they’re trying to perfect.

Matthew 3:13-17, Jesus is baptized in the Jordan by John The Baptist. And at his baptism, Jesus hears a voice from heaven telling him who he is. Jesus receives unique insight into his identity. “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Now remember – Jesus hasn’t done a thing “to prove himself” yet. He hasn’t healed the sick or cast out any demons or preached a single sermon. And yet God tells Jesus that he is the beloved. Jesus is told that his life is pleasing to God.

What might Jesus be feeling on a day like that? He probably would be beaming from ear to ear and thinking of himself beyond the idea, “I’m a carpenter. I’m a Jew. I’m the son of Joseph” and thinking “I am the beloved son of my Father in heaven. I am one with whom God is well-pleased.”

There is some scripture in Colossians in which Paul says something to the effect that we have died and our identity is hidden with Christ in God.  In other words, we have died to (forgotten) who we are, and where is the remembrance of that identity seemingly hidden? Our identity is with Christ (Love) “within” God.

God sees us – not as we see ourselves in the worldly sense – but as we are in Spirit. God looks at each of us --- and says to us --- the very same thing that was said to Jesus on the day of His baptism, “You are my dear, dear child. And I’m absolutely delighted with you.”

But our story doesn’t stop here, because after hearing these words, Jesus doesn’t begin his ministry just yet, but we find Him in the wilderness where He is tempted.

Do you have a wilderness kind of experience where you feel lost and alone… and ego tempts you to believe you are unworthy, that you have to do something to earn God’s love – that you have to prove yourself in order for God to be well-pleased with your life? This is error thinking. This what we are asking for help with when we pray, “and leave us not in temptation, but deliver us from error for Thine (not ego) is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever. Not just for once in a while or from time to time, but for ever and ever.

I believe we are all tempted with those thoughts.

What I think we need to do more than anything is change the way we fill in the blanks when it comes to defining who we are. Because at the core of our being, we are not how we look. We are not our resume. We are not our I.Q. We are not our latest Sunday talk. We are not our latest relationship, and so on and so on, because who we are – at the core of our being – has nothing to do with us. And it has everything to do with God.

We are worthy; and what God said to Jesus, God says to us. “You are my dear, dear child. And I’m absolutely delighted with you.”

And so get out your announcements insert and take a look at your fill-in-the-blank sentence again. The question is – who are you? 

How should you define yourself?

Define yourself as one LOVED by GOD. This is your TRUE self. Every other identity is an ILLUSION. 

(Thank you to Father John Newton for your idea and words, used without permission (because I couldn’t find you to ask)).