The God Who Seeks Us.
Meteorologists analyze satellite and radar images to make their best guess at what the weather will bring. Economists comb through statistics and make assumptions about the direction of money and markets. Our calendars and to-do lists are filled with the practical things of daily life. Still we are an anxious people. Our souls desire answers to the questions of human purpose and direction.
As Fr. Richard John Neuhaus writes, "We are all searching, and ultimately, whether we know it or not we are searching for God... As we are searching for God, the good news is that God is searching for us. Better yet, he has found us. The great question is not whether we have found God but whether we have found ourselves being found by God."
Sometimes the life of faith calls us to be quiet and to pay attention. For many of us this is no easy task. We live in a noisy and demanding world, ablaze with light, sound and fury. In this environment, spiritual growth demands that we pay attention to what is life affirming and that we reduce or eliminate those things that diminishing capacity to love our neighbors and our selves. Just like we must avoid distracted driving, we must avoid distracted living. God finds us right where we are, just as we are, but we can't receive that gift if we aren't looking for it. The Beach Church is a place where we gather to celebrate being found. A place where we have a sense of belonging and we come to appreciate the "gift exchange" of congregational life. Together with the Holy Spirit we are a blessing to each other.
Whether we know it or not, whether we feel it of not, God is with us. The God who has found us is as close as our next breath and when we devote our attention to God's presence, Christ comes and the Kingdom of Heaven is present on the Beach. The gift is there to be opened.
What are you waiting for?
