Lenten Message

Where is God?

Here’s the interesting thing about this God-thing, I know there is something out there. I’ve experienced it, I’ve seen it, I know there’s something. You know, the “coincidences”, the serendipitous moments, the times where the planets have lined up, where the veil between the two worlds parts just a little bit. I’ve been with others when something miraculous happens – rooms full of people, or with just a handful and I’ve been alone when something other-worldly has happened. So, yeah, I’ve been there! I know there’s something out there!

And yet, you know, I can’t tell you where God is. “God” isn’t local. I mean, I can tell you where my car is. It’s somewhere. I can tell you where my kids are… they’re somewhere- all the time. Somewhere. These things are physical. Obviously physical things are always somewhere. So, where’s God? Well, God isn’t physical, so… where is God?

Okay, God is “in our hearts”. Sounds good. But that really means something related to our emotions. When we say that, we mean we have a feeling of some kind, like compassion. We feel love. Now these things are not bad… feelings can help us to engage in the world, to motivate us to make a difference. Yet God isn’t really in our hearts. Again -there’s that physical thing. When we say this, couldn’t we just as easily replace God with an emotion and it would be just as valid? Love is in my heart. Mercy is in my heart. Compassion is in my heart. Could we say these things and still go out there and make the world a better place? Could we say these things and still feel connected to something bigger than us? Yeah, I think so.

Is God in heaven? Okay… where and what is heaven? It’s not “up there” somewhere. We’ve been up there, and it’s just empty (or mostly empty) space… and it get’s super cold and dark past our atmosphere. What do you mean by “up there”? Makes no sense in terms of the physical world.

So, maybe we talk about the spiritual world… God is in the Spirit world! Okay, sounds like that makes sense. What’s the spirit world? Another realm… another dimension? Hey, could be.

Where’s God? I would have to say, I don’t know. Is God real? Yep! Is God somehow connected to all the stuff out here? Yep! Is God connected to us somehow? Yep! Yet I can’t tell you where God is.

I spend my days thinking about God, talking about God – people expect me to say something profound about God… not once, not twice, but every week… in public! Granted, there’s more to this gig than just sitting around staring at “God”, but God seems pretty important in my line of work. And yet… What can I say about God?

I can tell you my experience! I can tell you my story! I can tell you where all this has led me in terms of God! I can tell you what all this has meant to me! I can tell you about you and me, and how that connects me to God.

I can tell my story! And as I tell my story, if you’re listening… listening… listen with your spirit… you’ll hear in the story where God is.

And if you tell me your story… tell me where you came from, what motivates you in life, what your fears are, how you see yourself, what you believe in, when you were broken, when you were built up… I’ll hear where God is.

So where’s God? What would you say?