John 5:39 Here you are scouring through the Scriptures, hoping that you will find eternal life among a pile of scrolls. What you don’t seem to understand is that the Scriptures point to Me. 40 Here I am with you, and still you reject the truth contained in the law and prophets by refusing to come to Me so that you can have life. I am the source of life, the animating energy of creation that you desperately lack.
In the word-centered evangelical tradition we are still guilty of this often. In our worship we talk about God, talk to God, read about God, listen to preaching about God, without listening to God.
I find that having space for silence and listening to God during worship with others points me to Jesus in a way that acknowledges that Christ is the source of life, the "animating energy that you desperately lack".
The quaker tradition incorporates space for listening to God in this way that speaks to me.
What is worship if it's not "Here I am with you." Noticing, giving attention, creating space to recognize the presence of Jesus is the heart of worship. Songs that we sing and how we sing them, the preaching, the offering, the intercessory prayer, the liturgy...all of that becomes lacking if we do not take time to recognize the presence of Jesus with us.
I feel the pressure often these days that we need to "get into the Word" and that it isn't real unless we are doing line by line preaching in a specific method and style. That's somehow getting biblical preaching and church right. I do think that we need to "get into the Word". But if we don't get into the present and living Word that is before us and among us then we are just searching for eternal life in a pile of scrolls. The written Word only becomes the Word for us through the animating energy of the presence of Jesus. We can read our bibles all day long and study them feverishly. But until our heart is being present to the Here and Now Christ in our midst we will not taste of the Real Life.
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