We come to the end of our Summer Worship Series this weekend. We have journeyed through section four of Brian McLaren’s book We Make the Road by Walking. This series is called Alive and we have explored how the Holy Spirit empowers us to move into deeper levels of aliveness in this amazing creation.
This final chapter celebrates the vastness of God’s Ultimate Reality and Mystery. McLaren centers on the parable of the Lost Son and reminds us that this story exposes the depths of God’s grace and love for all humanity. God’s love stretches beyond our ability to comprehend. He concludes the chapter,
Human speculation—whether religious or scientific—does the best it can, like a little boat that ventures out on the surface of a deep, deep ocean, under the dome of a fathomless sky. Our eyes cannot see beyond the rim. Our ears cannot hear the music beneath the silence. Our hearts cannot imagine the meaning above us, below us, around us, within us. But the Spirit blows like wind. And so this mystery humbles us even as it dignifies us. This mystery impresses us with our smallness even as it inspires us with our ultimate value. This mystery dislodges us from lesser attachments so we sail on in hope. This mystery dares us to believe that the big love of God is big enough to swallow all death and overflow with aliveness for us all.
“Do not fear,” the Spirit whispers. “All shall be well.” That is why we walk this road, from the known into the unknown, deeper into mystery, deeper into light, deeper into love, deeper into joy.
These words reminded me of a GIF I made in 2016. It expresses how I felt after completing a PhD. It also explains my icon for theology at the top of this post. I invite you to explore more at my theology page. For now, enjoy this GIF.
