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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
Down The Rabbit Hole With God
March 8, 2007
Have you had a “rabbit hole” experience lately? That is when you discover
a whole new world by accident. Like Alice, in “Lewis Carroll’s
“Wonderland,” you tumble into something you thought you knew but
discover that you never fully appreciated its true nature. That happened to
me last week.
I was coming home from New Haven and rushing back to a meeting here
in Norwich. I was hungry. I decided to stop and get something to eat
along the way. Because I travel back and forth to New Haven several
times a year, I have a pretty good idea of what’s available. Signs
advertising various restaurants dot the landscape. The truth is that I could
probably name a restaurant or coffee shop in every town along the way.
As I approached the exits for Westbrook I saw the sign announcing that
there was a Subway restaurant there. This was odd because I had been by
that exit hundreds of times and never noticed it before. I had been to
Dennys. I had shopped at the Westbrook Factory Stores and even
watched a movie at the Cineplex. I had never seen a Subway restaurant
though.
I got off the highway and followed the signs a half mile and found myself
in a beautiful village that was dotted with historic buildings and quaint
shops. It was a whole new world that I never would have imagined as I
zipped back and forth by it over the years. I realized that although I
thought I knew Westbrook because I had heard the name so many times, I
didn’t really know it at all.
As I got back on the highway the thought hit me that I didn’t really know
much about any of these shoreline towns even though I was consciously
aware of them. East Lyme, Old Saybrook, Essex, Guilford, Branford were
all just names to me. Familiar names for sure, but nothing more than that.
They had become synonymous with the exit signs on the highway on the
road of my life.
As I neared home and the Bible Study I was going to lead, it hit me that the
same is true for so many people when it comes to God. Everybody has
heard of God. Not everyone knows him. To so many people in our
society, God is an old guy with a long white beard sitting on a throne in
heaven. He is a mythological figure that they learned about when they were
kids and just beginning their trek through life. That image remains with
them.
God is so much more than that. In the Holy Scriptures he has a hundred
names that describe his countless attributes, and the images that they bring
to mind. The most endearing is “Abba, father” but the most telling is the
name he shared with Moses long ago. When Moses asked him his name,
God said his name was, “I am.”
To put it quite simply, God was telling Moses that he was real and more
than we can ever imagine. No single sign or image can do him justice. He
is the essence of all that is good and beautiful, filled with grace and
forgiveness, overflowing with power and glory, righteous and yet, loving
beyond measure. God is a friend, our protector, the righteous Lord of our
lives, our savior, guide and our helper. Yes, God is all that and more.
If you haven’t experienced the fullness of God, then find an exit and get
off the fast track you are riding on. Get down on your knees, take time to
attend a worship service or make an appointment to visit a friend and talk
about spiritual issues. You will discover untold blessings and before long
your life will become a “wonder” land.
God Bless. See you in Church. Cal.
March 8, 2007
Have you had a “rabbit hole” experience lately? That is when you discover
a whole new world by accident. Like Alice, in “Lewis Carroll’s
“Wonderland,” you tumble into something you thought you knew but
discover that you never fully appreciated its true nature. That happened to
me last week.
I was coming home from New Haven and rushing back to a meeting here
in Norwich. I was hungry. I decided to stop and get something to eat
along the way. Because I travel back and forth to New Haven several
times a year, I have a pretty good idea of what’s available. Signs
advertising various restaurants dot the landscape. The truth is that I could
probably name a restaurant or coffee shop in every town along the way.
As I approached the exits for Westbrook I saw the sign announcing that
there was a Subway restaurant there. This was odd because I had been by
that exit hundreds of times and never noticed it before. I had been to
Dennys. I had shopped at the Westbrook Factory Stores and even
watched a movie at the Cineplex. I had never seen a Subway restaurant
though.
I got off the highway and followed the signs a half mile and found myself
in a beautiful village that was dotted with historic buildings and quaint
shops. It was a whole new world that I never would have imagined as I
zipped back and forth by it over the years. I realized that although I
thought I knew Westbrook because I had heard the name so many times, I
didn’t really know it at all.
As I got back on the highway the thought hit me that I didn’t really know
much about any of these shoreline towns even though I was consciously
aware of them. East Lyme, Old Saybrook, Essex, Guilford, Branford were
all just names to me. Familiar names for sure, but nothing more than that.
They had become synonymous with the exit signs on the highway on the
road of my life.
As I neared home and the Bible Study I was going to lead, it hit me that the
same is true for so many people when it comes to God. Everybody has
heard of God. Not everyone knows him. To so many people in our
society, God is an old guy with a long white beard sitting on a throne in
heaven. He is a mythological figure that they learned about when they were
kids and just beginning their trek through life. That image remains with
them.
God is so much more than that. In the Holy Scriptures he has a hundred
names that describe his countless attributes, and the images that they bring
to mind. The most endearing is “Abba, father” but the most telling is the
name he shared with Moses long ago. When Moses asked him his name,
God said his name was, “I am.”
To put it quite simply, God was telling Moses that he was real and more
than we can ever imagine. No single sign or image can do him justice. He
is the essence of all that is good and beautiful, filled with grace and
forgiveness, overflowing with power and glory, righteous and yet, loving
beyond measure. God is a friend, our protector, the righteous Lord of our
lives, our savior, guide and our helper. Yes, God is all that and more.
If you haven’t experienced the fullness of God, then find an exit and get
off the fast track you are riding on. Get down on your knees, take time to
attend a worship service or make an appointment to visit a friend and talk
about spiritual issues. You will discover untold blessings and before long
your life will become a “wonder” land.
God Bless. See you in Church. Cal.
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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