Hypo-Christs

 Hypocrites and Christians are often found in the same sentence.  We preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but don’t follow it. Even more, we criticize and attack others for doing what we ourselves do.

As a young girl, I spent a lot of time alone. I was the baby of five children, but I was the surprise and the years between me and my four siblings were 11, 17, 19 and 21 years.  One of the skills that I developed as a child in the many moments I spent alone playing outside, in my room or riding my bike was connecting with God through the presence of the Holy Spirit. When I was young, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the presence of the Holy Spirit with me in almost every moment of my life.  I’m not sure I could have described it to you in words other than saying that I knew I wasn’t alone.

As an ordained Christian pastor, I repeatedly talk about the practice of discernment. If you’ve looked at my reading list you’ll see I’ve been reading a lot about this practice. Discernment is a way of being that helps you listen for the voice of God and then to follow God’s will.

One of the skills of discernment is to be able to tune out all of the noise that surrounds us in our lives. In order to create the kind of space to connect with the Holy Spirit, one has to intentionally set aside time in a distraction free environment. The skills of discernment include slowing down, breathing, meditation, prayer, and solitude. I believe my past experience with solitude helped me be able to jump into the skills of discernment as an adult with a very full life.

Of all the skills one needs to practice discernment, the key element is to understand oneself. In the Christian world we say knowing who we are and whose we are. Having self-awareness is crucial in order to differentiate between what is our own will and what is the will of God.

In our current social climate, our tech culture, it appears there is a general lack of self-awareness. If we claim to be Christians, we need to return to God. In the United Church of Christ our logo is the God is Still Speaking Comma. Gracie Allen told her husband George Burns before she died: “Never place a period where God has placed a comma.” If we believe that God is still speaking, then we must actually listen.

Listening to God takes work. It’s much easier to listen to TV personalities, celebrities, or your friend who just posted on Facebook. Even in our worship services, we’ve filled the time with a lot of words and other people talking. When do we slow down?

The time is now. Take a deep breath in…and exhale. Breathe in the power of the Holy Spirit…breathe out the burdens weighing upon your shoulders….put your hand upon your chest…feel the beating of your heart….feel the rising and falling of your chest….feel the presence of the Holy Spirit….open your ears to the voice of God….


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