Makey-Uppey-Stuff

Over the season of Lent we will consider the nature of God. So, when we consider the nature of God, we want to recognize, as closely as we can, what God does tell us about himself, plainly. We want the real stuff. That’s why I’ve titled this series, “God Unfiltered.” Now, obviously, I have opinions and biases, but my hope and my effort in this is to get myself out of the way and to clearly show how God reveals his nature to us. I’ll be working at creating an indifference to my own desires to see what Scripture says and to bring forward what it actually tells us, so we can consider it together. I’m trying to avoid “makey-uppey-stuff.” That’s a usual practice for me. I know how I want God to be, but I work, instead, on reminding myself to recognize what the Bible is actually saying. So that work includes going back to the original languages, taking the time to read people who disagree with me or have a different approach to believing in God, comparing the social climate at the time of the writing with the present day, and other things. I don’t want to allow my own perspectives to get in the way of latching onto the truth. The thing about Lent is that it is a whole season, some 40 days (not including Sundays), that allow us to spend the time to explore. This sermon series should also tie with the devotional study, “Seeing the Spirit,” that considers God’s Spirit as God interacts with us today. They should overlap at some points. The primary and foundational aspect of God’s nature that gets revealed through Lent, however, is the Resurrection, which is the most dynamic expression of God’s love that we can imagine. That’s where Lent takes us… into the heart of God. That’s why we take the time and give ourselves over to growing deeper spiritually. Blessings, Geoff