Several years ago I began to blog. I called it InReformation. It was about my own story and it was a place to process out loud. It was a confessional blog. This Tumblr blog is going to be different. Not as much a place for my inner most personal thoughts but for in-depth exploration of topics I am…
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Baptists Today, From a study on the blogosphere by the Social Science Research Council“Blogs have given occasion to a whole new set of conversations about religion in public life. They represent a tremendous opportunity for publication, discussion, cross-fertilization and critique of a kind never seen before.”
(I used to not be a huge fan of blogging but I’m trying it and this quote makes a pretty good argument for it…ahhh the irony!)
We say that we want to see God in our daily life but I wonder if we ever look. Take church for example. Generally we go to church expecting to encounter God but rely solely on the leadership of the pastor and maybe the choir. Sure we may sing a few songs or follow along with scripture, but most of our time spent at church is passive. Is it enough just to be present? Should we just show up and expect to encounter God? I would say no. In a fast-based, need-fulfillment society we live in, I feel like we just expect things to happen for us. Church isn’t a drive thru where you can get a refill on God and a supersized order of the Holy Spirit. Experience of the holy happens when we take the time to engage ourselves. And not just our minds or our hearts but our whole bodies. This requires a little more participation I think than sitting in the pews. I also believe that we need to take the time to look for God in the most unlikely situations. It is easy to want to experience a “holy moment” in church but what about at work? At home? In our Play? In Nature? Who knows where God might just show up if we only took the time to look.
It was raining and storming outside so we ended up playing hide and go seek in the church. Everyone took off their shoes and we were all roaming around the church trying to find each other in what we thought would be the best hiding places. Most of the lights were off and the storm was raging outside. I have never had more fun in a church before in my life. One time we found a big group of youth hiding in the baptismal font. Awesome. At one point I stopped when I was alone in the empty, dark sanctuary. I looked around at the empty pews, I felt the soft carpet beneath my toes, and I witnessed the church light up every few seconds from the lightning. I couldn’t help but think that God was with us in that very moment, in our play. This experience reminded me of a book that I read called Godly Play. The book is a very detailed way to incorporate God and play into Sunday school lessons. However, it also emphasizes the importance of Godly play. Do you think God likes to “play”? I certainly do. Sometimes I think we feel that we are “playing” hide and seek with God because God can be really hard to find in every day life. Or perhaps sometimes we are the hiders and God the seeker when life gets to difficult, when walking a life of Christian service isn’t easy, or even when we feel like we have shamed God. This form of hide and seek may not always be as enjoyable as it was when we were kids. I am arguing for a more perfect form of play. Natural, childish, fun, careless play. Invite God into your play and see what happens. If you find that you don’t have anything to invite God to, maybe you should consider a rousing game of hide and seek, duck duck goose, or even, hmm…red rover?
Art is prayer made visibleThe Chapliancy Institute
Music is prayer made audible
Dance is prayer embodied
But the greatest art we practice
Is the art of compassion
Which is prayer in action and service.
—Rev. Dr. Gina Rose Halpern
