God Talk

Words to ponder … God Talk … Morrow Mirror, August 25, 2013

Jon Macks, was a political consultant for Illinois Senator Paul Simon as well as the head writer for ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jay Leno, but it is not his affiliates that interest me. What interests me is his book, “Heaven Talks Back”. 

As a Christian and most certainly as a pastor I believe God talks to us all the time, we just tend to be too occupied with life to listen. Now I do not necessarily believe God talks to us in words, but through the Holy Spirit God speaks. However, in Jon Macks’ book God just begins talking to him one day and he writes it all down for a year.

I find the idea of God sharing his feelings an interesting premise for a book.  Interesting because I believe many of the things Christians believe are necessary or important are actually irrelevant to God.  So I do wonder, what would God say to us individually and as the church, the Body of Christ about our faith journey; our ‘to do’ or ‘not to do’ list?

I also wonder what God would say about worship?  Jon Macks’ book is fictional but what God would say to us is worth pondering as we strive to grow in relationship with God.  In his book Heaven Talks Back he wrote:

“Did anyone ever think that maybe I have needs? Did any of you ever stop your constant whining and begging for favors for one second and ask; is there anything I can do for God? Don't get me wrong; it's nice being worshiped; it's just that you humans always have an ulterior motive. When do I ever hear from you unless you want something? Never. Just once I'd like to have someone make a sacrifice or a burnt offering without immediately following up with a demand. Surprise me this weekend.” 
[John Macks, Heaven Talks Back (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990), 65.]

I wonder what God would say to us about our worship.  Do we spend too much time focusing on the business of the church and on pleasing self that God gets forgotten. Jim Wallis said, “we have forgotten we are God’s people, and we have fallen into the worship of American gods…trapped in our false worship, we no longer experience the freedom that is our birthright in Jesus Christ” 
--Jim Wallis, The Call to Conversion (HarperSanFrancisco, 1992), 31.  

The American gods Jim Wallis is talking about are all the material things we cherish and spend our time on, which keeps us focused on self instead of God. So I wonder what God would say about our worship (the church’s worship today). Is worship about ‘me’ or is it about God.

I pray we all come to worship seeking God; but I believe what both John Macks and Jim Wallis are saying, is that our prayer and worship should be about God. In prayer we talk with God. In worship we praise God – the Word proclaimed is God’s words to us and worship is our response; our praise and thanks to God for loving and saving us from ourselves.

Words to Ponder...In Christian Love, your pastor and friend in Christ Dr. Ed Judy