Seeing It
Just think of the times when you must be shown.
Bill Bryson writes about how little we know of our ocean – perhaps a millionth or even a billionth of it’s depths. He remarks that we have “better maps of Mars than we do of our own seabeds.” Thought I couldn’t find the exact statistics, each year a disturbing number of previously unknown and disturbing creatures are pulled aboard unsuspecting fishing boats. Creatures so strange they must be seen.
Bill Bryson writes about how little we know of our ocean – perhaps a millionth or even a billionth of it’s depths. He remarks that we have “better maps of Mars than we do of our own seabeds.” Thought I couldn’t find the exact statistics, each year a disturbing number of previously unknown and disturbing creatures are pulled aboard unsuspecting fishing boats. Creatures so strange they must be seen.
Just think of the time when you must be shown.
All of that leads me to something about the limits of language and the limits of knowledge. There is only so much that words can do and there is only so far that words can take you. Beyond that, true discovery is about touching it, seeing it or in some way being surprised by it. The Psalmist remarks, “Taste and see that the Lord is good”. In many cases and in many ways there is simply just no substitute for stepping into the story and having some part of it surprise you through direct contact.
There are no words and there are no ideas that can convey the power of what is going on in Sub Saharan Africa.
I’d like to take all of this in two directions this Sunday. The first is a challenge to all of you: there is no substitute for stepping into the story of AIDS in Africa for yourself because there are some things that just need to be seen. The second is about an incredible opportunity: you and I can build a kind of compassion that takes our time by surprise. Why? Because there is a whole range of things that only the church can do. You can hear parts of it in Jesus words from John 13:35, “Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Only when you and I build a kind of compassion that no one around us expects will they be brought to the question about Jesus.
I’d like to challenge you about this whole other kind of compassion. It’s something that truly must be seen.
I hope to see you there, and I hope you bring someone with you,
Chris
All of that leads me to something about the limits of language and the limits of knowledge. There is only so much that words can do and there is only so far that words can take you. Beyond that, true discovery is about touching it, seeing it or in some way being surprised by it. The Psalmist remarks, “Taste and see that the Lord is good”. In many cases and in many ways there is simply just no substitute for stepping into the story and having some part of it surprise you through direct contact.
There are no words and there are no ideas that can convey the power of what is going on in Sub Saharan Africa.
I’d like to take all of this in two directions this Sunday. The first is a challenge to all of you: there is no substitute for stepping into the story of AIDS in Africa for yourself because there are some things that just need to be seen. The second is about an incredible opportunity: you and I can build a kind of compassion that takes our time by surprise. Why? Because there is a whole range of things that only the church can do. You can hear parts of it in Jesus words from John 13:35, “Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Only when you and I build a kind of compassion that no one around us expects will they be brought to the question about Jesus.
I’d like to challenge you about this whole other kind of compassion. It’s something that truly must be seen.
I hope to see you there, and I hope you bring someone with you,
Chris
posted by DSW at
3:55 PM
1 Comments:
Sometimes I feel like that ocean. I have been on a journey of self discovery for awhile now, and the deeper I dig the more I find out about myself. I love Westside and the way your sermons provoke my thoughts. I will always be there and share the joy I find there whoenever I can. Keep up the good work.
By
Anonymous, at 9:47 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home