Sunday, September 25, 2005

Evangelsim Remixed

The following is an excerpt from my last message at the V.A. The text is Philippians 2:1-13.

This past Saturday, a friend of mine hosted a belated birthday party for me at her house. Towards the end of the party, her housemate asked me what it meant to be a chaplain. She had never heard of such a profession. I explained that it was sort of like being the pastor or spiritual care giver for all those patients under my care. Rather than try to impose my beliefs on them, I sought to understand where there relationship with God was and care for them there. In reply to this, she said that she was certain God existed, but wasn't too sure about this whole "church thing." She then asked each of us to share our own experience of God. While we may not have persuaded her over to "our side" by the close of the evening, I think she did come away with a fuller idea of Who God is, at least according to our perceptions of God.

The whole experience re-confirmed a view I've been coming to embrace of what it means to share my faith in ministry. I came from a tradition where it always felt like I was being called to convince the world of God's existence and God's gift to us in God's Son or that we had to sell Christianity and / or Jesus to the world. Yet here in this situation, none of that was called for or needed. Instead I was simply asked to share God as I had experienced God. It kind of reminded me of what Paul said in his letter to the church in Philippi, "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." I also found myself remembering the words of the second step of AA's 12 Steps: We made a decision to turn ourselves over to God as we understood God. God accepts us as we are and helps us to draw closer and so we should be with each other.