Pastor Lorraine's Sermon for July 13, 2003

God Knowable

James Michener's book, "The Source"

Recommended to me in seminary as a book that helps give the context of scripture

It helps us see the Israelites in the larger context of other people groups

The Israelites struggled with their God
Preferred a God Tangible to a God Knowable
a God with ritual and a structure
instead of a God who led them and journeyed with them

The Hebrew God-the God above all gods

The God who loved his people
The God who would never leave nor forsake them
The God who can be known

To know in Hebrew means many things-yada

It goes way beyond "knowing about..."
or the sense of knowing someone as in acquainted with someone
Includes the intimate knowing of another in sex

Genesis 4:1 "Now Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain"

The same word is used for the intimacy of knowing God

Exodus 6:7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.
Then you will know that I am the LORD your God,
who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Jeremiah 24:7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD.
They will be my people, and I will be their God,
for they will return to me with all their heart.

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,
who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

I John 5:20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding,
so that we may know him who is true.
And we are in him who is true-even in his Son Jesus Christ.
He is the true God and eternal life.

Three places in scripture I want to look at more closely

Exodus 33:12-23 God reveals himself to Moses

The Israelites are crossing the wilderness after leaving Egypt
Moses asks God who he is sending with him

He says I'm not going on unless I know I have found favor with you
God says, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Moses is bold and asks to see God's glory
God says he will show him his glory,
but he must hide in the rock
so he doesn't see the face of God
Moses saw the glory of god

John 14:6-21 Jesus says, if you've seen me, you've seen God

Jesus tells the disciples he is the way to God, the Father

Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father
Jesus tells them that if they have seen him, they've seen God

1 Corinthians 2:9-13 Paul says God let's us in on what he's thinking
No one has seen or imagined what God has planned for us
God has revealed to us through the Spirit so we know what God is thinking

My picture of intimacy with Jesus-drinking coffee together

In the early 70's I was in Bolivia
There they served us coffee and bread for breakfast-often at a simple table
For years I have had this image of drinking coffee with Jesus
Just sitting at a simple table together, drinking coffee and talking
About everything-the big stuff and the little stuff
The everyday, ordinary stuff as well as important stuff
Sometimes we're just quiet together

What is it that you and Jesus do together?
What picture comes to mind of how you and Jesus spend time together?

My experience of God with the labyrinth

A labyrinth is a tool used to help enter into the presence of God
The labyrinth was commonly used during the middle ages as a pilgrimage to God
Rather than going to Jerusalem-which many couldn't do
They could do a labyrinth

The labyrinth is not a maze as there is a clear path through it with no dead ends
It's a tool to slow down and enter the presence of God
On the way in, we release the cares of the world
In the center we enter the presence of God

On the way out we go in union with God out to the world
I did the labyrinth yesterday in order to experience it and find out about it
I did it as an intellectual exercise, rather than expecting to encounter God
After explaining about the labyrinth,
we were encouraged to consider where we are with God right now

-what is going on with me?

As I did that, I realized that I was ready for vacation and getting away
I didn't want to do the tasks in front of me
I had this feeling that I needed to get the tasks done first
Realized that I needed to enter the presence of God now and not wait
Walking into the center, I consciously slowed down
I paused to notice and even hug people on the way in
But as I entered the center and found my place

A holy shiver ran through me, lasting for several seconds
I didn't expect it and was delighted to recognize God

God allowed me to know him in the center

After a time, I returned out of the labyrinth with God
-together reentering the world

Galatians 4:6-9 We are children of God with full access to God-to Abba, Father

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