Once Upon A Time In The World
Genesis 12: 1-9 & Matthew 9: 9-13
Roger Lynn
June 13, 2021
Once upon a time, there was a man who had been born into very fortunate circumstances. He had a family who cared for, loved, supported, and encouraged him. The land in which he lived was rich with resources and opportunities. And he was free to go where he wanted and do as he pleased. The wonders of the land were beyond telling, and the wonders of the people in the land even more so. Indeed, this land contained all which was needed to live a happy and fulfilling life.
As this man grew up he began to journey around the land, and meet the people, and share in their lives. There were times when he was aware of the beauty and wonder which was all around him. There were times when he was left speechless and silent in awe. There were times when he laughed and times when he cried. And in those moments of awareness, he felt very much alive and excited and in touch with himself and with those around him. In such moments, he also had a sense of Sacred Presence. It was as if he were catching glimpses of a bigger, brighter reality, shining through a hole in the fabric of the moment.
Much of the time, however, the man was not so in tune with the land, the people, or the presence of God – he was not filled with wonder or awe or much of anything beyond the surface of things. He simply forgot, or was too distracted, to pay attention. This blindness to the abundance of life left him with a sense of emptiness. Sometimes he was so distracted that he didn’t even notice the emptiness, but on those occasions when he was aware of the hollow space in his life he sought to discover ways to fill it. He read books and talked to friends and watched how other people went about filling their own emptiness. He tried to find the “proper” way to deal with this need.
Unfortunately, much of what he heard and much of what he saw was more harmful than helpful. He heard from those who spoke as if the emptiness could be filled with gushy, emotional highs. They left the impression that this would and should happen if he were doing it right. But, alas, this didn’t seem to be the way he was put together, and so it did not happen. As a result, he only felt more emptiness and a larger hollow place.
Then, there were those who spoke as if regiment, discipline, and procedure were the proper approach to filling the void. If one would just follow all the proper steps, and keep it up for long enough, then the emptiness would be filled and God’s purpose would become clear. But, again, this proved not to be the way for this particular man, and again discouragement set in.
Eventually, this became a repeating story of distraction and confusion. The emptiness was felt most strongly when he became distracted from what was real in life, and the more he searched for a way to fill the void, the more distracted he became. Soon he was being pulled in so many directions by the varying messages he was hearing that he came to doubt even those things which were real and true.
Then, slowly, two things began to happen which profoundly affected how he went about living his life. The first was that he began to worry less about filling the emptiness. It would be nice to say that great wisdom and insight led him to this decision, but the reality of the situation was far less dramatic and exciting. He simply became tired of worrying – too much energy with too few results. Instead of worrying about living he simply went about the business of living. He continued to journey through the land, and he continued to meet people and share in their lives, but he worried less about discovering what it all meant.
The second thing which began to take place in his life was that occasionally he would meet someone who would share another kind of story about the emptiness and how it might be filled. At first this came only in the form of hints and casual comments. It took a long time before the real message began to sink in, partly because it seemed so simple. Slowly, though, the man began to hear a different voice in the wilderness. It spoke little or not at all about formulas and final solutions and easy to follow plans. Instead what was offered was that the emptiness might be filled as we open up to what is all around and become more aware of the experiences which come in the midst of our living.
Little by little the two things began to work together in the life of this man. As he stopped worrying about how to fill the hole in his life he was far more likely just to live life as it happened. As he began to listen to this new voice which seemed to be speaking to him, he became more and more aware of the times when he did not feel hollow. Slowly he came to realize that the glimpses of wonder and brightness which he had sometimes experienced were in fact the very presence of God which he had been seeking. After all, where else but in the world would God’s presence be experienced? How else but through sharing in the lives of the people would God’s voice be heard?
He still has moments when the emptiness creeps back. Old habits do, indeed, die hard. He still forgets to pay attention to the life around him and instead worries about finding “the proper” response, which will help him “discover” God. But, in the midst of all that distraction, he really is learning to stop and remember to simply breathe in the wonder of the moment. And it is in just such moments when God speaks, God’s presence is felt, and the emptiness becomes at least a little bit less empty.