The God of the Illuminated Journey

The God of the Illuminated Journey

The faith we experience is not our own or somehow under our manipulative control, to expand or shrink based on our effort or will, but originates from the Source: Father, Son, and Spirit.  As that faith grows, changes, and matures, it remains HIS faith at work in-and-through us.  We cannot multiply it or enlarge its borders.  We cannot order its comings and goings as if it were our subject, obliged to obey our command.  We simply discover it a little bit more each day.  

We have, through the fear and intimidation of fundamentalist evangelicalism, substituted the journey with a destination.  By centering the argument on the false dichotomies (or, stated more accurately, false dichotomies as evangelicalism understands and articulates them) of heaven vs hell, saved vs unsaved, right vs wrong, the sunrise has been forfeited for a light switch.  Rather than experience Father, Son, and Spirit through a gradual unveiling of wonder wherein His luminance grows brighter and brighter as a progressive dawning, reflecting off His glory housed within all of His creation, leaving us basking in the sunshine of His marvelous light, we opted for a fast food, ‘I want it NOW’ mentality where it’s all or nothing.  And, like fast food, this approach may be fast but has immeasurable impact on quality of experience.   It may stave off hunger temporarily but in no way does it qualify as nourishment.  

Faith is not created, controlled, or in any other way subservient to mankind.  No.  It is simply discovered - like the dawning of each new day. 

This quote from Baxter Kruger’s book, The Great Dance, says it so well…

“Christian faith is not something we do that gets us connected to God or gets us into the circle of life shared by the Father, Son and Spirit. Jesus Christ has done that. Faith is not something that we do that moves us from the unforgiven column to the forgiven column. That was done in Jesus. Faith is not something we do that gets us reconciled, justified, included, adopted, redeemed, saved. Jesus Christ has already done all of that. The fundamental character of Christian faith is that of discovery. Faith, as Luther said somewhere, is like the eye. It does not create what it sees; it sees what is there.”


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