Does it really matter?Yes, it matters. Those questions matter because they are questions that are ultimately about the mystery of God. They are about the stuff of life. They are about the stuff of “call.” They are about the stuff of intimacy with the divine. Does it matter? Yes, it matters. The Mystery of God matters and we are its stewards, people called out to chase that mystery and to proclaim how important that chase really is in this world. And one of the ways we do this is by naming the chase, and saying that what it means to be “human,” what it means to be “vitally alive”… It Matters…certainly matters to Vern who lives in Iowa at the Dubuque Rescue Mission because there is no where else for him to go. Who knows how long he’s been there. It matters to Anna who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. She struggles with being trans-gendered, constantly mocked and ridiculed by others, forced to feel ashamed for her existence. It matters to Scott. He is a member of St. Dysmas, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota: a church within the walls of a maximum security prison. He struggles with how to be Christian in the middle of hell. Yes, yes. It matters. It matters… to the child who fears each night, anticipating the physical abuse to come, to the elderly in care facilities who wonder whether their family will come to see them, to the single mother who dances in clubs because that is the only way she know how to put food on the table and pay the rent, to the old man who scavenges dumpsters seeking treasures in what others throw away, to all those who are afraid of the violence that is happening right now in the darkest areas of Iraq and Sudan, and to all those who feel the aftermath of tsunamis in the east and wonder why creation itself is out to destroy them. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be fully alive? It is all about the mystery of God. The mystery of God matters. And Jesus matters, because Jesus reveals to us that mystery. Jesus matters, because this Jesus bears the human face of God. Chasing the Mystery MattersMy life and its path have changed significantly over the years. Whereas once I was a child chasing the stars and the mysteries they bear, now I am drawn into another mystery. My primary call in life is to chase the Mystery of God as encountered in the person and work of Jesus Christ and to proclaim his importance in this world…for above all things, I am a Christian. Somehow, we all have to negotiate our own senses of call and vocation. Yes, we are all called to use our unique sense of gifting to enrich this world. And we all seek to find ways to make that happen, which is not always an easy task, given the basic realities and necessities of life (such as food and shelter). Unfortunately, in the midst of all that “real world” stuff (if you will), sometimes the mystery of God gets lost in the shuffle. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Maybe it is at times like that in we are reminded of a deeper reality that we often forget in our spiritual quests, the truth that Jesus continually reveals to each of us personally… …because I, personally, matter to God, God is eternally chasing after the mystery that is me. God is continually proclaiming my importance in this world. Such is true personally for every single one of you in this room, and every single person in this world. You matter to God; God is chasing you, and all of those around you, because they matter to God too. In the name of the Father, |