Sharing Our "God Moments"

 
While our Bishop Carrie (Schofield-Broadbent) was on pilgrimage to the Holy Land recently, she posted about the trip on social media. One day, she posted about sharing our God sightings. I think she was referring to those seemingly inexplicable, life-changing, sacred experiences that, all too often, we have but keep to ourselves. Some might refer to these as God moments or mystical encounters. According to one Pew Report, around half of the American population claims to have had at least one such experience.[1]

 

In his landmark book on religious experience, psychologist and philosopher William James proposed that there were four necessary criteria for such an experience. They must be ineffable (unexplainable), noetic (not just a feeling but more of a deep knowing), transient (passing but capable of having a lasting impact), and passive (or initiated from outside the experiencer).[2]

 

In such a time such as ours, I think Bishop Carrie is onto something. Theologian Karl Rahner would likely concur. In 1961, Rahner made the bold statement that the Christian of the future will be a mystic, or “he” will not exist at all.[3] (It was 1961!)

 

Epiphany season is party time for mystics! Remember? We’re supposed to be paying attention, watching for God sightings and signs! The Gospel of John doesn’t disappoint. Of the four, John’s is the most mystical gospel. It’s said to be shallow enough for a child to wade in and deep enough for an elephant to swim. Ready to dive in?

 

 An entire community is invited to a wedding party. There is food and wine in abundance, music and dancing. A week-long joyful celebration. A new family in the making. The entire early church seems to be in attendance. Jesus’ mom is there. Jesus is there, too, with all his disciples.

This party roars on and on…until:

 

"They have no wine." An imperative from mother to son. 

 

"Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." 

 

Is Jesus nervous, a little apprehensive about the start of his ministry? I can relate.

 

Jesus’ mother presses on. 

 

"Do whatever he tells you,” she directs the servers.

 

Spotting six empty jars used for Jewish purification rites, Jesus instructs them to fill the large stone vessels with water (no easy task in the ancient world!). Then there is so much wine. Hundreds of gallons. Good wine. Like 99 on the Wine Spectator rating scale good. 

 

“Draw some out and take it to the steward,” Jesus tells the servers.

Amazed and astounded, the steward gives all credit to the bridegroom. “The good wine is always served first. But you, you saved the best for last.” 

 

The servers know. Can’t you just picture them? 

 

Best. Wedding. Ever.

 

In the Fall of 1969, Peter Yarrow, who passed away just a couple of weeks ago, asked Paul Stookey to write and perform a song for his upcoming wedding to Mary Beth McCarthy. 

 

As you might recall, they were members of the popular sixties folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary. A dark cloud had descended over the country following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Stookey felt as though his life was spinning out of control. Encouraged by a friend to read the bible, he also began to pray. He prayed before making small decisions like which elevator to take. He prayed for himself and others. Eventually, Stookey’s life began to feel more manageable.

 

In an interview, he describes how The Wedding Song came to be:

 

Retreating to his tiny basement studio, Stookey tuned up his twelve-string. After sitting in silence for a moment, he prayed, asking for God’s blessing and presence at the wedding of his dear friends:

The lyrics came quickly:

He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts. Rest assured this troubadour is acting on his part. The union of your spirits here has caused him to remain. For whenever two or more of you are gathered in his name, there is love.

So strikingly instantaneous was Paul Stookey’s inspiration that he felt it wasn’t his song. He decided to give away the rights to a non-profit. The Public Domain Foundation was created in 1971 with royalties from “The Wedding Song.” Since then, millions of dollars have been raised for social justice causes all across the country.[4]

 @kellylatimoreicons

In his book, Stride Toward Freedom, Martin Luther King, Jr. also shares a powerful God moment:

It was a cold January night in 1956, and as he was drifting off to sleep, Dr. King received a disturbing phone call. The person on the other end of the line spouted horrendous racial slurs and violent threats. Shaken, King went to his kitchen, sat down, and prayed, pouring all of his fears and his hopes out to God.

At that moment, Dr. King shares, “I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced God before… I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying: ‘Stand up for justice, stand up for truth, and God will be at your side forever.’ Almost at once, King wrote, his fears  subsided. “My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.”[5]

 

From her pilgrimage, Bishop Carrie shared this on Instagram: “We all have unique perspectives ...The God-moments that may be obvious to us may be inaccessible to others.” I totally agree! We should talk about them!

Jesus gives the mystified servers something to talk about as they share the excellent wine with thirsty wedding guests. But wait, where is the bride in this story? 

 

Did you catch the last lines of Isaiah? 

 

For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your builder marry you,

and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.

 

In our marriage rite in the Book of Common Prayer, Jesus’ presence and first miracle at Cana signifies “the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church.”[6]

 

In the true Church, the beloved community where love, justice, and mercy flow abundantly, I think we are the bride. Therefore, those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.[7]

 

In the spirit of a God moment, I invite you to close your eyes and drink this in, from Christian mystic Meister Eckhart: 

 

In the deep quiet of the soul where thoughts dissolve, and worries cease.

There lies a rest, a sacred whole. A hidden peace that brings release.

Let go of striving. Let go of quest. In this vast stillness find your ground.

For here within the inmost breast the divine presence can be found.

Not in the clamor of the day. Nor in the rush of worldly things.

But in the space where thoughts give way.

The soul’s true resting place now sings.

Like a still lake reflecting skies.

Reflect the light of God within.

In this deep rest your spirit flies.

A union with the divine begins.

 

Amen.

 

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[1] Russell Heimlich, “Mystical Experiences,” Pew Research Center (blog), December 29, 2009, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2009/12/29/mystical-experiences/.

[2] William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature. (New York: Longmans, Green and Co, 1902),380-81.

[3] Karl Rahner, Theological Investigations, trans. Cornelius Ernst (Baltimore: Helicon Press, 1961) XX, 149.

[4] Noel Paul Stookey, “The Song I Had to Give Away,” Guideposts (blog), June 1, 1993, https://guideposts.org/positive-living/health-and-wellness/better-living/the-song-i-had-to-give-away/.

[5] Martin Luther King, Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story, King Legacy Ser, v. 1 (Boston: Beacon Press, 2010), 135-36.

[6] Episcopal Church., The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church: Together with the Psalter or Psalms of David, According to the Use of the Episcopal Church. (New York: Church Publishing, 1979), 423.

[7] BCP, 428.