June 8 Krum Star Article,
"The Place of Holy Mystery"
A number of years ago, one
of my sons skated inches from death because of a severe
asthma attack. I'll never forget the words of his pediatrician
a couple of days after the worst was over. He sat by David's
bedside and said, "I really thought I'd be attending
your funeral today." This pediatrician himself was
near tears as this point—my son had been his first
patient when he began his medical practice. Over the years,
we'd become good friends.
We were lucky. A combination
of the quick response in the Emergency Room, an extraordinary
level of care in the Intensive Care Unit, the use of new
and effective medications, the determination by my resilient
young son to keep breathing, and the prayers of many combined
to keep him alive.
I also know it doesn't always
work that way. Despite prayers, superb medical care, the
quickest response possible, people die long before death
becomes a welcome friend in later years. Life is fragile,
and we do ourselves a disservice when we fail to recognize
that fragility. We also do ourselves a disservice when
we fail to recognize that life itself is a place of holy
mystery and needs to be savored and celebrated.
As I grow deeper in the spiritual
life, I find myself more and more pondering the nature
of holy mystery. I sense an invitation to recognize a
wider sacredness than we often perceive.
I'm a pastor. I think we must
come together in a designated place for corporate worship,
for encouragement, for service to one another and the
world. I also think it is during times of corporate worship
that we are able to open our eyes to see this wider sacredness.
From that experience of wider sacredness, we find the
ability to celebrate the mystery of life. When we can
learn to recognize the holy mystery within our worship,
then we are more prepared to see it outside the place
of worship.
In the United Methodist Church,
the altar takes the central spot in place and worship.
That physical piece of furniture becomes the symbol by
which we recognize that there is indeed a holy mystery
of the presence of God. It's from that table that we receive
the gifts of bread and wine (for us, the non-fermented
juice of the grape). On that table that we present our
own offerings, the money that supports the work of the
church. This symbolizes the reality of our faith and our
willingness to sacrifice for it.
This Sunday, as we examine
a story in the Bible where Jesus raised a young man from
the dead, we're also going to look at the wider sacredness
of life and see if we can find the place of holy mystery,
both within and without. All need to be able to see something
beyond the everyday trappings of life that leave us stuck
and frustrated. There is more. Together, we can learn
to see it.
