Another reflection from Manchester yesterday: I encountered a lady who had come out of interest, hoping to find something different. She described herself as a Christian, and had a firm trinitarian belief in God. But she had recently been aware of a God who cannot be contained within the box of our buildings and structures. She had encountered him powerfully through healing energies and wanted to explore more of this "big" God who will not be contained. But she had encountered opposition to her questions: The response from the many in the church has been predictable, but sad. Church is so often not a place where we encourage people to experience God. We tell them what to think about God and how, we tell them what "He" requires and how to live. We box "Him" into our buildings and define "Him" with doctrines and Creeds.
The trouble with God is as one Pastor I have met puts it is that when we try to place God in a box s/he squeezes out all through the edges and the cracks and surprises us. So why are we so scared of hearing about the experiences of others? Why is it so impossible for us to believe that the God who met Moses through a burning bush, the God who walked over the waves to join his disciples, the God who holds all of creation in her hands might be found somewhere other than in the pages of our books or the walls of our buildings?
And that has got me thinking, I wonder how often people experience God and have no-where to talk about that experience? How many stories are consigned to the back of our minds for fear of them being to "odd" or a little bit freaky?
I remember well some of my own experiences, of stepping out onto the sea wall in Essex to find that the veil of the physical had fallen away and I was suddenly walking in what I can only describe as a multi-dimensional world. There were what I can only describe as angels everywhere, tangible, yet intangible; everything glowed, everything was more alive than it had ever been. I did not talk about that experience because I had nowhere to talk about that experience, I simply cherished it, but like many cherished things I consigned it to a dusty draw in my mind, and it stays there generally, until meetings like the one I had yesterday when I get it out for another look, and wonder what God was showing me.
Another encounter was with Jesus, it was when Chris was young and we had just arrived home from hospital. I was down stairs praying, Tim was out at a Bible study and our three ( there were only three at that time) were all tucked up in bed. I was sitting in our rocking chair and listening to music (Vivaldi's Gloria if I remember rightly) when I became aware that I was not alone. I looked across the room and there was Jesus, simply standing and watching me, I knew it was Jesus and although he didn't speak he held his arms out in what felt like a blessing and an embrace and then he was gone.
And the thing is I can delve into the pages of the Bible to find that others have had similar experiences to these. Encounters with angels are not rare and there are many accounts of people becoming aware of them, like Elisha's servant in 2 Kings 6:
"15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16He said, “Do not be afraid, or those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
I am sure these invisible warriors were angels, and I am also sure that angels are with us more than we can imagine. A friend tells a story of two completely different people, one Christian, one a Pagan both alerting him to the presence of his own particular angel! They both described exactly the same unusual sight!
And angels are not absent from the New Testament either, the beginning is full of angel encounters as they speak to Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph and the Magi!
I wonder how many folk have stories of angel encounters and simply don't know how to tell them, or who to tell them to?
The there are encounters with Jesus, his post resurrection appearances and disappearances fill the end of our gospels, he meeting with Saul (Paul) on the Damascus Road; and many many stories from different people. I've met a man who meets Jesus whilst Astral Travelling, heard stories of Jesus appearing to folk who have never heard of him and yet some how they know who he is...
A friend had such a powerful encounter with God one day that it effected folk around him (well those who had eyes to see). So powerful was his encounter that he became almost oblivious to the lecture he was supposed to be being attentive to, and he say grinning from ear to ear and he literally glowed!
As a Methodist I hold that experience is important, John Wesleys conversion was as a result of an experiential knowing. And I know that I meet God on a daily basis in places that are not safe or boxed in: and yet so often we dive for the safety of our books and our buildings, afraid of the God who appears in odd places, who meets us when we least expect it, in the garden, in the swimming pool, on the mountain top, in the shopping mall...
I wonder what your experience has been? I'd love to hear your story....
And I haven't even started on the possibilities of Pentecost yet.....
