God's WORD - Being Part if It

STEP 24 THE WORD AND BEING PART OF IT

From the earliest awarenesses of what we call GOD the ancients (Jews) knew of a concept that could only be called WORD, intimitant and personal communication that was/is one with power and action. This is and demonstrates God's WAY with creation and us as children. "In the beginning.... God created...God said.....and it was.....and it was good." Again and again we are told, "and God said..." We know of God's WORD, then, in creation. Again and again "and God's WORD came to ......" we are told of the prophets. The followers of Jesus of Nazareth heard and understood the WORDS of the Holy anew through him and could only continue in that tradition by writing in the Gospel we call John, "In the beginning was the Word.....and the Word became flesh and lived among us..." so real was God's Word to them through the experience of Jesus, to them the Christ.
God's WORD was not a static or a "then" thing but a constant yet fluid reality, a present condition of God and characteristic that proved and even force communication, love and the awareness that the reality of God brought. God was/is not distant. The Bet Middler song "From a Distance" would have been known as a lie. That it wasn't to us shows our grave ignorance and immaturity spiritually.
The most basic tenants of Jewish belief included that fact of communication between God and us. It is not just a possibility, it is simply the way things are. We as people are called (communication again) to be children. We are made this way, able (if not willing) to communicate. And to communicated with others. Although we have individual realizations and WORDS, if you will, come to us in individual communication with God (call it prayer, visions, flashes, meditation, etc.) any supposed WORD can only become real and be verified as true or untrue through the light and scrutany of others and the world around us.
In fact any Word must be shared. If it stays unshared it dies. It is wasted. And woe to the person, or group to whom the Word came if it isn't shared. Not that they're going to any Danteian Hell but any Word that is held within will fester and be forever an incomplete void in the heart and soul of those who captured and held it forever, who were stupid/cowardly/arrogant and unloving enough to judge God's Word themselves. God's Word needs to be shared/heard/passed on and debated in order to become action. This is true of all aspects of the Word. As I have mentioned, this is one great shortcoming of most churches. God's Word is limited to the experts. The majority of church goers sit and listen; they do not participate in any way in God's Word. So of course they stay small in understanding and even smaller in doing. We have re-written John to "and the Word was made flesh in our clergy and is told to us.." We are afraid to debate any spiritual understanding or action. We assume that Jesus was an enemy of those with whom hee debated (ususually Pharaces) when as a teacher he knew that debating is the only way we learn.
If we don't participate in the word, not only do we not grow, we literally kill the word. So the habit of the most churches in limiting discussion and involvement is not only not good, it is plainly evil. Any minister who preaches only, who doesn't make it as easy to dialogue/question/share re his sermon as it was easy to come and hear it, is not only shirking his duty or being "modern", he is actually lying to the people and keeping them small. He is acting against God's WILL and WORD. S/he is deluding children of God by actions and inaction that imply that sitting on their and hearing is all that is available to us, that we, the resultants is what God as Parent has in mind.
Those of us within worship congregations, in any/all ways you can, challenge your leadership and provide leadership yourselves to allow God's WORD to be shared within your church. If it simply can not happed, leave it now! Of chose to simply not grow and waste your life and what growing influence you might have been to those around you had you become yourself more a part of God's WORD. And if you are not in a faith community, become one. Know that we each and all can become a conduit for God's WORD. We don't have to feel we have any answers of something to preach. But we do have ourselves to share, questions of life and love to kick around. Let us know that in doing so we are recognizing ourselves as HOLY. This doing is as much "We are each free to answer. We do this with each other. It is not difficult. And it is so much more fun to be free with others in God's WORD than to remain alone.
Know that you often won't agree. But neither did the followers of Jesus. Know that you will be challenged and uncomfortable. Know that because most of us haven't done this very much and will get to excited for we have long been in the habit of arguing and condeming instead of debate and sharing. Remember to listen with love for it is risky for another to be open to any others about their questions and experiences. Remember that all people really do share common questions and needs of life but that their words may be radically different. Remember that God loves them as much as you. Stand up for your rights to be heard. Hope to be understood but don't expect it. Even Jesus wasn't understood most of the time. But above all, become part of the WORD. The cost is well worth it!

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." - Joseph Chilton Pearse

"Language exerts hidden power, like moon on the tides." - Rita Mae Brown