Living Alive

simple – adj., easy to comprehend; not complicated, not elaborate or artificial.

I like that definition. Is my life “simple”? I mean, I don’t want to be complicated or artificial. I prefer real, authentic, simple living.

When I get up in the morning – after pouring a cup of coffee – I reach for the Bible. I read a Psalm. I pray to God.

The rest of my day, I seek to do the same – simply reaching for God, in all I do.

What do you do to simplify your life?

Less is more. There’s a limit to the number of things (material possession, entertainment, trivial pursuits…) that can populate a life, fill a 24-hour period. The *more* you are filling your life with, the *less* you are able to focus, to enjoy, to stay on target in faith.

More is less. Chasing after “the more” can lead to ailments of the soul: affluenza (the sickness of consumerism); credit-itis (inflammation of your debt); RHS (restless heart syndrom) or spiritual dwarfism – the stunting of life-potential due to a shallow life-style.

At some point you realize that you’re not living for God, not even for yourself, as you are *consumed* by things: taking care of stuff, working to acquire more things, chasing after the wind.

You may hear an echo in the attitude of the writer of Ecclesiastes (1:14): I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Simplify by letting go of all of that stuff.

The antidote to the complex life is found in the *simple* heart sung in the ol’ Shaker song, “Simple Gifts”.

“Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free…”

May God’s grace be sufficient for you. May you simplify your life.

Enough – Think about that word. Where do you experience “enough” in your life?

Many people are experiencing just the opposite: “never enough” time? Food? Money? Things?

In the world, not enough: peace, rain, goodwill, employment, natural resources.

Do you have a “resource” or “The Source” for providing “enough” in your life?

The disciples worried about whether there’d be enough food for the thousands who’d spent all day in the wilderness hearing God’s word from Jesus. Jesus took the little that they had & offered it to God & shared it with the hungry. After the meal, the Bible records this observation: “they had all had enough [to eat].” Jesus even instructed them to save the leftovers! (John 6)

God is the most abundant source of all that we truly need.

The other day – the most unusual of circumstances took me by surprise — I was actually early heading out for a meeting at Middleburg Church. It was a perfect afternoon… warm sun, cool breeze chasing a few clouds around a pure blue sky…the colors of fall beginning to deepen.
So, as I love to do but rarely have the time, I stopped by the state arboretum. At the overlook-gazebo I watched the tall grass bend in th wind. I could see the different wildflowers
Suddenly – for no particular reason – I got caught up in a vision. In my mind I pictured the church triumphant – as a marching army, marching not with weapons for war, but with banners of victory in joy & peace. I could see us (yes, you & I are there) – the body of Christ – filing along the miles of the bridle trail, stretching out across God’s colorful creation.
It reminded me of that great scene from CS Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, where the elder demon wrote to his protégé nephew, Wormwood, persuading him to teach people to think of the church as minor, trivial and weak, and not to see it as it really is: eternal, triumphant marching onward over centuries, “mighty as an army with banners.”

Is your view of church more trivial & temporal – or is your vision more mighty & triumphant?

The Church as Greek Chorus
What’s your image for church? A garden, an orchard, a choir, a body, a stone temple?
Someone recently suggested the image of concert choir. The concert choir is excellent for well-polished performance. It communicates musical proficiency which pleases the ear of the hearers. There is some element of this in an effective congregation. When people of faith act in harmony with their beliefs and with one another, the music of Christianity can be heard.
I would like to offer a different musical image, that of the Greek Chorus. This musical group serves another purpose in theatre. It’s the role of the chorus to interpret, explain & teach the hearers about the purpose, action & themes of a particular play. The chorus works in unison in order to communicate clearly. It’s not art for art’s sake. It’s all about making the connection, communicating meaning.
Remember Star Wars? It has been suggested that R2-D2 & C3PO play the role of Greek Chorus as they react to events and explain the plot development – yes, with humor! – as the story-line develops. This is certainly the role of a person of faith.
What do you think? The chorus is more accessible – anyone can join! If you don’t make the cut for the concert choir, c’mon & sing with us commoners!
BTW, God loves the common person. ?