God Hunt -- Emmanueling

Far too often I find myself living my days unaware and inattentive to the reality that God is present with me. The message of the New Testament is full of the teachings of Emmanuel, God with us. Far too often I find myself not even thinking or looking for His activity. I want to change that. I want to be aware. I want to be more attentive.

The message of the New Testament is that God is active and working. Emmanuel, God with us, is just as true today for the follower of Christ as it was 2,000 years ago. Dare I say that in many ways Christ is more present today than He was then? Now He dwells within us! If attentive, I shouldn’t have to look too hard to see or sense His work.

Several years ago our church participated in an exercise called a God Hunt (I think I first heard of it from author David Mains). The exercise was to hunt for God’s activity on a daily basis. Maybe it would be through creation, the words of a friend, a conviction, a song, a hurt, and through innumerable other ways. The point was to seek to be aware and attentive. Then when we noticed God’s activity in and around us, we were to tell someone; a friend, spouse, or your small group. I have encouraged the church that I pastor to intentionally be on a God Hunt each day for the next month. I am looking forward to how this is going to heighten the awareness and prayerfully the attentiveness of our church to God’s activity.

I am personally looking forward this active discipline of looking for God’s activity. I know that it is not grammatically correct, but I am calling this heightened attentiveness and awareness emmanueling. Emmanueling is my way of describing my attentiveness and awareness to His being with me.

I would like you to invite you to go on this God Hunt with us. To participate with us in emmanueling and to give testimony to His work in your life.

So let me ask, how have you noticed God today working in your life?
Encourage us all with your story of His work by commenting in this blog.

Your partner in the gospel,
Pastor Paul

Merry Christmas

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Tonight, many will gather with family and in churches to celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ. God come to earth. This is the life changing truth of a God whose passion for humanity caused Him to become one of us. This is His expression of love. As the Apostle John says it, "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son..." God wanted to be "with us." We will hear the reminder of that desire all around us in songs and the spoken word: Emmanuel, "God with us."

I find in my life that the greatest issue isn't about God being with me, but rather me being with God. I wish there was a good word for that! Emmanuel means God with us. What is the word for "me with God?" Words like: aware, attentive, present come to mind. But to be honest this isn't so much about me learning a new word. It is about me actively choosing to live in His presence, aware and attentive. I would like to give that Christmas gift to my Lord. The gift of increasing awareness and attentiveness to Him. I think that would be a great response to His love for me and us.

Your partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul

Have a Merry Christmas