Feeling The Presence of God????

Chad

This morning, as you often do, you invited us to share our personal experience feeling the presence of God,
and, as often happens, you seemed disappointed that most of us remained silent.

Perhaps this silence is not due to Lutheran reticence, but to the fact that, at least in my case,
I am "tone-deaf" to experiencing the presence of God.
You might as well invite me to sing like Pavarotti - it just ain't gonna happen!
If I saw a "burning bush" I'd probably just call 911, report it to the Fire Department and move on!

Does this mean I do not believe that "God is with us?"
Does this mean that I do not experience the presence of God?

Why is it necessary that I personally experience the presence of God in order to believe that "God is with us"?
If I were color-blind, would I deny the existence of colors when others experience them?
Does the fact that I have a "tin ear" mean that I deny that others have "perfect pitch?"
During most of the three years that the Apostles were in the direct physical presence of Jesus,
did they experience the presence of God? Or did they live their lives awaiting the revolution, oblivious to the fact that "God is with us?"
If feeling the presence of God is such a common experience, then why were Samuel hearing the voice of God
and Moses seeing the burning bush noteworthy enough to make it into the Bible?
Why then, do you seem disappointed that others have not been blessed as you have to recognize they have felt the experience of God?

Maybe an answer is that I'm in church this morning trying to think (unsuccessfully) of when I have experienced the presence of God.
Meanwhile, I am standing up and down, and walking around without my cane, shaking hands and taking communion,
and my leg is not bothering me, and I am not really noticing this. I have not explicitly "prayed" for my leg to be healed,
and I can not say I have felt the power of God enter into me - its just that my "annoyance" is not as annoying as it once was.

Perhaps the answer is that the Name of God is "I Am," and not "You Shall Feel My Presence."

DTH