Learning God

Every Thursday morning I spend a few hours with 25 Kindergarten students who are excited to be learners. I see it in their eyes, hear it in their voices. Mixed in with all that energy there is a joy in discovering. When the light comes on in young minds, in those first moments of understanding, they laugh and clap in astonishment. They have discovered something that has always been present to those who seek it: the reality that C-A-T spells Cat.

For fifty-five years as a Pastor/Minister/Chaplain I have sat with adults who seek deeper relationships with and understandings of God. They want to discover, and when they do, when the light comes on in the heart, there is a depth of joy that is unexplainable. Alphabet letters and a numbering system have been around a long time. Each one of us tapped into them with the help of a teacher or friend. Likewise, the inviting presence of God has moved through life since time began; available, present, inviting, discoverable. No one can take it all in with one “Ah, ha!” whether it’s 2+2=4 or a flood of sacred light. We learn God. In a relationship, in a moment of study or worship, driving along the freeway, listening to music, playing with your grandchildren, holding the hand of a sick friend, singing in the shower, smiling, forgiving. God is like a constant stream, like a river into which one can step. God is a constant presence that invites inquiry, discovery, and relationship. And, to me, that means life is a question looking for an answer. Those Kindergarteners take in as much as they can, but certainly not the entirety of intellectual understanding. In the same way, you and I learn our way into God, the eternal and constant presence, in all those experiences and encounters that we call daily living.

The very good news is that the nature, purpose, and character of God have been revealed in the historical person of Jesus. In a sense, he is the one sitting at the table holding up flash cards, not the ones that say C-A-T means Cat but the ones that announce: Do unto others…love your neighbor…give to receive…forgive as you are forgiven…follow me into more and more discovery. Each one of us is learning God and we are at different places in that discovery process, we approach the learning through different methods and experiences, and we move at different paces or speeds. However you choose to do it, discover with honesty, humility and genuine gratitude. Is there a final goal, a diploma to be obtained at the end of the learning process? Yes. More discovery, further revealing. Forever.

Think about this today. Be a learner through today’s encounters. And when you experience the moment of insight or revealing, clap your hands and be grateful.

Class dismissed.