Edgework

I have noticed over the last decade or so that a new expression has arrived in our Christian community. When someone senses God’s presence in a unique or powerful way it is sometimes described as experiencing a “God Moment.” I don’t want to question the experience thus described, but I do want to raise some concerns about the use of this popular expression. It may be saying more – or less – than we really want to say.

“God Moments,” it is said can describe a personal, ecstatic sensation experienced during personal prayer or meditation, or a time when God is felt to be especially close during a time of public worship. Perhaps more frequently, however, it is used to explain why and how something inexplicable happens like someone showing up “just in time” or the weather being just right for a family picnic.

In an article written recently by Jeff K. Clarke, “There are No God Moments: Rethinking Divine Omnipresence,” he argues that strictly speaking there is no such a thing as a “God Moment.” He argues that using this phrase reflects a top-down theology that could be explained as follows: “God, as-the-holy-other-than deity of the Old and New Testaments, lives off in space somewhere and periodically decides to come down from his throne to do something spontaneous and powerful.”

While he grants that people using the phrase may be doing so innocently enough, he is afraid that its ubiquitous use may in the end be downplaying the Christian understanding of the omnipresence of God. He notes that, “If our definition of omnipresence says anything at all, it is this – God is everywhere present at all times. To maintain a personal dynamic, one that makes it less abstract and real, God is always present to all.”  In other words, God doesn’t just show up on occasion.

Clarke notes that, “…if we learn anything at all from Jesus’ incarnation, it is this – we are not alone. God is not aloof and is very much involved in every detail of our lives…The Holy Spirit – the Paraclete – is an ever-present help; the one who will never leave us alone.”

The point of this discussion is not to deny the fact that sometimes we feel closer to God than other times, and that on occasion a particular encounter with God leaves an indelible imprint on our lives. The challenge is for us to speak about such experiences without inadvertently diminishing the importance of a central biblical teaching, namely; that God is present with us all the time.

Brother Lawrence (born Nicholas Herman) was a 17th century Carmelite monk who was especially known for his attempts to continually be aware of God’s presence. His letters and records of conversations on this topic have been collected into a book entitled, The Practice of the Presence of God. His main point is that being aware of the omnipresent God is a discipline that can be learned. Our concern should not be to try to find ways to get God to show up more often, but to train ourselves to be continually conscious of the fact that God is forever closer to us than our breath.

This thought is relevant to where I am at right now. There was a time in my life when I found myself chasing those special moments when I would feel God to be very near. I would say that there is nothing wrong with anticipating and later celebrating when one does have a conscious “close encounter” with God. Some of those encounters have shaped the course of my pilgrimage in significant ways. But as I get older I am beginning to suspect that constantly chasing after those special moments is not sustainable in the long run.

I still welcome those special moments that seem to pop up around me on occasion, but I am beginning to think such events have more to do with my awareness than God’s random visitation patterns. What I need right now in my life is not to be on the run from one high moment of God’s awareness to another, but to be grounded in an overwhelming realization that I am in God’s presence all the time. I need to be living in a state of God-consciousness that doesn’t come and go depending on the weather, my emotional condition or the presence of unusual phenomena.

Perhaps this is a need that comes with getting older, I don’t know. The prophet Joel spoke about young men seeing visions and old men dreaming dreams (Joel 2:28). Perhaps seeing visions requires a more intense awareness of the presence of God. I remember having what I would consider to be Spirit-inspired visions as a young man. Those were heady times!

But these days it might be more correct to say that I dream dreams that emerge from a life-time of experience and a deeper understanding of how God is at work in the world. I find myself living out of these dreams which, for me, are rooted in the awareness that God’s presence and power must undergird everything I do. The question that confronts me every day is how I can best live well in the moment. And that question must be answered in the context of my awareness of increasing limitations of health and energy.

So, from my perspective, all the moments that remain for me are “God Moments.” However, that doesn’t diminish a call for attentive involvement. A life-time of questing is not easily dropped. I am more keenly aware than ever that there is a continuing need to discern issues of theology and ethics that have a bearing on our lives and our world. And I have devoted whatever energies I have left to this process in the context of the larger faith community. But, for this assignment, I will need a constant reminder that the presence of God is sustaining me; that I am living in a “God Moment” all the time.