Last November, this congregation, along with many others throughout Aotearoa-New Zealand, participated in a Church Life Survey. Ninety-five people from Knox took time after the worship services one Sunday to answer a raft of questions intended to provide a snapshot of the local church and how it sits within the broader community. Last Wednesday evening, the Church Council looked at the reports and there are some copies of that report available in the Gathering Area for any who are interested to browse them. There will be other opportunities for Council, Elders and the Congregation to consider the implications, which can be drawn from our responses, for our life, ministry and mission together. This morning I would like to highlight just one area from within the report – that of our “Everyday Awareness of God”.
A series of questions asked participants about how aware they were of God’s presence in their workplace, the community and whilst enjoying nature. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there was a much higher awareness of God’s presence within the natural world than within our community, which scored significantly lower in our awareness than even the workplace. While 73% of us were aware of God’s presence in nature ‘nearly always’ or ‘usually’; only half of that number (36%) could say the same about our community. Most of us indicated we were rarely aware of God’s presence while we are in our community – for example participating in sports, clubs, shopping, school, university. In another question, people were asked to indicate how often the presence of God was evident in church services. Again, probably unsurprisingly, more than 90% of Knox respondents, answered ‘nearly always’ or ‘usually’. Interestingly, this was more than 10% higher than the national Presbyterian response. It seems, from this snapshot of church life, there is something within our worship that helps us be aware of God’s presence in the moment – but that doesn’t easily carry over into our daily lives.
And there lies a problem; it’s not a new problem, but it is a big one. For, if we understand God to be the horizon of our longing, the Whither of our journeying, the eternal presence in whom we live and move and have our being, then surely, God’s presence is all pervading – never absent; always encompassing every single moment of every part of our lives. And yet, for some of us anyway, that presence is not in our conscious awareness very much at all.
How do we become more aware of this god-ness within the frantic, demanding and challenging lives that we live for the 167 hours of our week, when we are away from this beautiful inspiring sanctuary, where our sense of God is heightened? Is it possible that we can utilize this time in worship to expand our awareness so that we may develop an awareness of God’s pervading presence in every part of our lives? It may not be quite as simple as the experience we all had this week of our television screens, more or less magically changing from analogue to digital reception – although it might be similar to that – in that, our perception of God’s presence might just need a new signal – a different connection to enable us to see more broadly.
Sometimes we experience these different connections, when the pattern of our days is changed. Some of us will have had days and weeks recently where the long lazy summer time has invited us into contemplating the wonder of sunsets, the beauty of lakes and mountains, the joy of relationships. There in the slower pace offered by holidays, some of us will have caught a glimpse of wonder, mystery and holiness; an expansion of awareness; a heightened spiritual attentiveness. We might have discovered in the glories of nature, around the table with friends, or in peaceful solitariness a sense of being free, of being whole, of dwelling in goodness and love. We might not have consciously called that being aware of the presence of God – but on reflection, that may be how we name it.
Learning how to see – how to listen with the heart – to recognise God’s presence in all parts of our lives – is a skill we need to learn. Like learning any skill, it doesn’t just happen; it comes with constant practice. If we want to live in the wholeness and joy that is there for us in God; if we want to be aware of God’s presence in all parts of our lives, we must practice and learn.
In this place, where most of us recognise the presence of God most of the time, let’s take a moment to enter contemplative practice, through this morning’s gospel reading. I invite you to listen to an imaginative re-write of Mark’s bare facts as a way into expanding our perception – experiencing the possibility of ‘going digital’ in our spiritual journey – with the aim of learning how to take some of this perception into our lives beyond these walls. You might want to close your eyes as you contemplate – paying attention to the details of the surroundings and the people – hearing the story as if you were watching a movie.
A re-telling of Mark, chapter 1:21-28:
“The double blast of the trumpet signalled the start of the Sabbath.
Jesus slowly made his way to the synagogue along with the other people of Capernaum. Entering the doorway, Jesus removed his sandals, covered his head with his mantle and quietly went in. The limestone floor felt cool beneath his bare feet as he walked towards the back of the room and sat down. Many other people of the working class sat nearby: carpenters, blacksmiths, metal workers, farmers, potters, tent-makers. The synagogue leaders filed in and sat down on the benches at the front of the room. Soon everyone was listening in quiet contemplation to the prayers and readings of the day.
Then, Jesus stood up to teach. All eyes fastened upon him as he made his way to the centre of the synagogue. What would he say today? People were always astounded at his teaching, for he didn’t sound like any other teacher of the Law of Moses. “He preaches with power,” they said. “What authority in his words!”
Just as Jesus was about to speak, he looked over the heads of the people toward the door at the back of the room. People twisted their necks to see where Jesus was looking.
There, in the doorway, crouched a man. Suddenly the man sprang upright and shrieked, “You!” He waved his arms in the air and called out to Jesus, “What do you want with us?” He began to slouch through the room, and the people shrank away from him.
“Jesus, leave him alone,” the people called. “This person is not in his right mind.”
But Jesus did not move.
The man came closer, still screaming. “You have come here to hurt us. I know who you are. You are God’s holy one and you have come here to make trouble.” The man was crying and shaking all over. His face was white. He was breathing very hard.
“Enough!” said Jesus.
Jesus knew this man needed help. With great love in his eyes, Jesus gently said, “The words you are saying are not your own. Because you are not well, because you feel mixed up and afraid, the things you are saying are mixed up.” And then Jesus touched the man and seemed to look beyond him. In a strong voice, Jesus said, “Be quiet! Come out of him.”
The man felt a powerful surge go through him, and he fell to the floor, shaking and crying. Then suddenly, it was over. The man lay quiet. He felt calm. Tears of joy streamed down his face.
The people in the synagogue were amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What’s happening here? This is a new teaching. Jesus talks like a person in charge. He even tells bad spirits what to do and they obey!”
At once, Jesus’ fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. Jesus spoke and acted with an amazing power, a power from God. It was a power of love, of compassion, and of caring for the hurting and lonely. And people wanted to know more.”[1]
Michael Trainor[2], writing about Mark’s gospel suggests that “a fundamental conviction in Mark’s gospel [is that] through Jesus’ ministry, God’s presence rules. God’s presence in Jesus overcomes evil, releases people to freedom, and creates a community of disciples who experience wholeness at every level of their being.” In paying attention to Mark’s story, we enter the presence of something more – the God-encompassed story which, with our participation, becomes a story of restoration into wholeness for the whole of creation.
We who have become skilled in recognizing the presence of God in this place – and who acknowledge God’s presence in nature relatively easy – are learning also to recognise that same presence in our community and in our workplace, when we cooperate with God in the overcoming of evil and in the bringing of justice, peace and love for all people. And, as we participate in this process of discovery together, we find that we are becoming part of that emerging community of Jesus’ disciples who experience wholeness at every level of our being. In this, the presence of God is known. Thanks be to God. Amen.
