Our Sense of Wonder

Have we lost our sense of wonder?

Several years before his death, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Herchel suffered a near-fatal heart attack. His closest male friend was at his bedside. The old rabbi was exhausted by his effort to speak. But he said, "Sam, never once in my life did I ask God for success or wisdom or power or fame. I asked for wonder, and he gave it to me."

Unlike Rabbi Herchel, we've lost our sense of wonder. We walk through God's creation listening to I-Pods, talking or texting on cell phones, or watching mini DVDs. We've become sophisticated tech-heads going through life without any sense of wonder.

Only the newest tech-toy causes us wonder. Yet even our tech-wonder is short lived. It dies by tomorrow. The new becomes old. Yesterday's wonder becomes today's boredom.

While we wait for our next tech-toy, we barely notice the stars in the sky, a full moon, or dewdrops clinging to rose leaves. Hummingbirds come and go. We don't see them. We mulch every leaf as soon as it falls. We seldom notice a red tail hawk in flight, a chipmunk scampering for a hiding place, a lizard soaking up the sun, or the tiny spider patiently waiting for its next meal.

In our race to get to our next event, we've grown complacent, proficient, high tech, and very practical. Our world has taken on shades of platinum. Glitz replaces beauty. As we gorge at the buffet of self-gratification, we miss the invaluable experience of awe, wonder, and reverence.

But as tragic as missing God's creative panorama of color, sound, and smell is, we're creating a greater deficit -- we bypass the wonder of God. We sit through church services and take for granted "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit."

How do we live in the presence of the living God without wonder and reverence? How do we sing about the grace and love of Jesus without being overwhelmed by dazzling awe? How can we listen to the whispers of the Spirit without a deep sense of surprise and astonishment?

Let us ask God for the gift he gave to Rabbi Joshua Abraham Herchel: "Father, grant me the grace of wonder. Surprise me, amaze me, awe me. Allow me to rediscover the wonder of your Person, the glory of your holiness, the marvel of your love and grace, and the surprise of your gifts."

For The Wobbly & Weak-Kneed

When Jesus said that he came "to preach good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18), he meant the accent of the gospel was for the poor. The word 'poor' does not simply mean poverty but all who suffer -- the unfortunate, wretched, wronged, oppressed, crippled, lame, leprous, demonized. The gospel is for those who have been left abandoned in the world.

As Brennan Manning says the gospel of grace is "for the sorely burdened who are still shifting the heavy suitcase from one hand to the other. It is for the wobbly and weak-kneed who know they don't have it altogether and are too proud to accept the handout of amazing grace."

"It is for the inconsistent, unsteady disciples whose cheese is falling off their cracker. It is for the poor, weak, sinful men and women with hereditary faults and limited talents."

"It is for earthen vessels who shuffle along on feet of clay. It is for the bent and the bruised who feel that their lives are a grave disappointment to God."

"It is for smart people who know they are stupid and honest disciples who admit they are scalawags."

His grace is for me.

His grace is for you.

His grace is for anyone who has grown weary and discouraged along the Journey.

Back Door Birth

While Mary and Joesph were in Bethlehem, David's town, for the census, "the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel" (Luke 2:6-7).

True, millions of babies have been born in homes, huts, or outside. But this is not the kind of birth we'd choose. No running water. No midwife. No hot towels. Nothing sterile. A young mother struggling through the pain of her first birth with only her fiancee to help her.

Birth is messy. The umbilical cord had to be cut. The placenta disposed of. The child and the mother cleaned. With what? Water from an animal trough?

And what is this baby's first bed? A warm bassinet in a climate controlled room attended to by neonatal nurses? No. A feeding trough made of mud or clay and stained from the saliva of feeding livestock. That was the baby's crib.

Not exactly the grand entrance one might expect for the Son of God. But there they were, Mary, Joseph, and the newborn Jesus, huddled together in an animal shelter on the outskirts of Bethlehem.

If no one in the world noticed his birth, God did. And the Proud Father announced his Son's birth to a few shepherds camping in the neighborhood guarding their sheep. He sent one of his angels who appeared out of nowhere as Papa's glory lit up their campsite. They were terrified.

God's messenger said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody worldwide. A Savior has been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

The shepherds left running and found the threesome just as the angel described. The shepherds were nobodies but they were Jesus' first visitors. "Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed."

Are we? Or has the story lost its edge? Are we impressed that God threw off his glory and humbled himself to become a human baby? Why? Why such a meager entrance? Why did he come through the back door?

"This is what the Son of Man has done. He came to serve, not be served -- and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage" (Matthew 20:26).

Through A Child's Eyes

Christmas is seen best through the eyes of a child. A one year old face explodes with laughter at the sight of the lit tree, points to her first gift, claps, and asks, "What's that?"

And the four year old who is the first one up on Christmas morning, joy and anticipation exploding inside, and who can't wait to open that first present.

Children don't over analyze Christmas. They don't worry about saying "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays." They understand the Christmas is a time of mystery -- Santa comes while they sleep. How do they know? The milk and cookies they left out for him are gone expect for some crumbs.

Children know Christmas is a time to give and receive. It's at time to laugh and play. It's a time to sing and enjoy being with family and friends. It doesn't matter if there is too much snow or no snow. It doesn't matter if the stock market is up or down. Nothing worries them. It's Christmas.

Most children know the Christmas story. And, Santa aside, they understand the Father's love poured out in baby Jesus.

And maybe that's enough.

Stop what you're doing. Reflect on Papa-God's enormous love in baby Jesus. Let the meaning of Christmas be refreshed in your heart.

Have a blessed Christmas!

Occam's Razor

William of Occam (or Ockham, a town in England), who lived 1285-1349, was a philosopher and a Franciscan monk, a pious man who took his vow of poverty very seriously. He lived using only what was absolutely necessary. From his simple life came a powerful idea which later came to be known as "Occam's Razor."

What was his idea? It was a philosophical guide or suggestion which states: when given two explanations for the same thing, the simpler one is usually the correct one. Originally, William wrote his notion in Latin in two parts: 1. Plurality should not be posited without necessity, 2. It is pointless to do with more what is done with less.

Why was the Franciscan's monk's thought called a razor? Because he wrote about it so much and used it so often, like shaving everyday. Thus the tag "Occam's Razor."

Occam's Razor is used in computer programing, medical diagnosis, and scientific research. That his thought is still used in the 21 century is impressive in itself.

I'll apply it to Christianity and the church. To say Jesus lived a simple live is an understatement -- "Foxes have dens, and birds have nests. But the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own" (Matthew 8:20). It doesn't get much simpler than that.

The simple Jesus was born in a animal shelter, laid in a trough, grew up in a nowhere village, wore homemade clothes, traveled by foot from village to village followed by a ragtag group of people who depended on the gifts of others for their basic needs. Nothing flashy, prosperous, or affluent about him.

One wonders if the Simple Jesus would feel at home in our affluent churches, ornate temples, and elaborate cathedrals? Maybe it's time to apply Occam's Razor to 21 century Christianity?

What We Think About God

It's been suggested that what we think about God is the most important thing. Maybe not. What God thinks about us seems infinitely more important. After all, God has the final say.

So, what does God think about us? 'God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die' (John 3:16).

That's what God thinks about us. He loves us enough to sacrifice everything for our sakes. His love is an infinite love, a love that surpasses knowledge, a love that has a length and a breadth, a depth and height which bypasses our comprehension.

Outside of revelation of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to grasp the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. We can talk about his love, sing songs about his love, read scripture about his love, but apart from the Spirit's illumination we cannot begin to understand or experience his love.

Why? Because God's mind and ways '...are higher than the heavens--what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave--what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea' (Job 11:8-9). We can only kneel before our infinite God who loves us with a love that goes beyond anything we've ever known or experienced and offer our praise.

What we think of God matters only to the extent that it relates to what God thinks of us. It is written that we shall "stand before Him"-- our final and ultimate inspection. How will we survive such scrutiny? Only through the saving love of God demonstrated to us through his Son, Jesus.

Papa's love doesn't pity us or pat us on the back; his love wraps us in his arms and holds us tight. His love purifies, cleanses, forgives, and accepts us without regret or reservation. To be loved by God is a privilege and honor we can't comprehend. But so it is.

Blessed by the name of the LORD!