Posted by: The Informal Matriarch | December 20, 2007

This is My Worship

Christians are constantly striving to be more spiritual. They’re working hard at doing spiritual things like raising their hands in church or doing their daily devotions. They’d be seen as EXTRA spiritual if they got up reeeaaalllly early to do their devotions. That’s way more spiritual than doing it in the afternoon right? Good thing you’re not one to do it at NIGHT TIME and fall asleep while it happens.

Some people are seen as being more spiritual than others because of their daily actions. Perhaps they pray more, perhaps they have a nice and shiny Jesus fish eating a Darwin fish on the back of their car. Perhaps they read their Bibles a lot and they can read it in the King James version and actually understand what’s going on. The uber spiritual most likely do it with a concordance at hand so they can exegete every word they read.

I’m here to say something shocking. Something that might make you GASP and then make you hungry to buy and extra WWJD bracelet for your wrist just in case.

I think everything is spiritual. I also don’t think anyone can be anymore spiritual than the next person. Before you start your nasty response in my comment box, please turn down your WOW 2007 CD and listen up!

I don’t think a lot of Christians believe this. They’ve given in to the gnostic idea that there’s a sacred/secular split. That there’s music out there that’s not spiritual therefore labeled “secular”. I don’t think secular exists anywhere.

I’m sure you’ve said it yourself, the HS is omnipresent. Therefore the HS is everywhere, in everything, amongst everything, a part of everything. Otherwise, the HS wouldn’t be omnipresent…agree? Of course you do :)

I believe with all my heart that I am worshiping God as I write this. I believe with all of my heart that when I’m out running errands, I’m being spiritual because the spirit is with me. When a person would ask me how my walk with Christ goes, I love saying things like “well I made an amazing supper last night, my house isn’t very clean but at least I got the laundry done, Ikey is growing so fast and Brent and I made love last night, it was great”. What the heck?

I believe God resides in the mundane. I am being spiritual by washing my dishes because the spirit is in it with me. I am made by God, my world is made by God and it is fully and wholly occupied by him. I’m communing with God at every moment whether I like it or know it or not. My life is my worship. I enjoy what God has placed before me. I love His creation. Anyone who is a part of God’s creation is spiritual because, like we all agreed on before, the spirit is everywhere.

All of creation cries out to God, whether it likes it or not.

So, sorry to say this but in my opinion, your early morning KJV Bible read didn’t get you any spiritual brownie points. Although, it wasn’t in vain…I’m sure you learned something right? My mad packing furry I’ve been doing today was just as spirit filled though.

Begin verbal slaughter.

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Responses

You know I completely agree with the idea of an omnipresent God. And that a lot of the sacred/secular split is cultural. And that we’re not earning ‘brownie’ points.

I have a few things to ask you…
If you believe that there is no such thing as secular, do you believe that there is such a thing as sacred? Or is it all semantics?

And I’m curious as to what you believe in evil - do you believe it exists?

What do you believe about the New Testament - is it relevant? What do you believe about the apostles that consistently speak of faith and works? What are the consequences of never doing anything ever and ever in the name of Christ?

And will mocking Christians that are sincere, but in your opinion mislead, be effective in changing their minds?

I guess you’ll cover a lot of these topics in the future - one post isn’t really enough to cover everything, right? I’ll be patient.

By: leanne on December 20, 2007
at 9:36 pm

What you said, in this post, and believe works for YOU, and others that believe differently or worship/follow/commune with God in a way that works for them are made to feel less than after reading what you said; this post seems, due to its sarcasm, like a very good example of “othering.” I’m not saying what you believe is wrong, just that it makes it seem that you believe it is the only right…

By: Jilly on December 21, 2007
at 3:44 am

Hey L, first and foremost, I don’t believe in verbally slaughtering people about their religious beliefs - even if it is for my own safety.

I know if I start arguing philosophical semantics and biblical “truths,” you’ll probably roll your eyes, so I will spare you the nuanced nonsense. It is good to see that you are willing to challenge your previous beliefs; honest inquiry is the only way of finding the reality behind the curtain.

One piece of advice (you know I had to say something critical, right?): don’t eat up everything the Nexus gang says without doing your own research. I think you can find some excellent spiritual and psychological truths within that sort of group, despite their lack of historical knowledge. The one teacher has his history degree in modern history, the other in psychology - neither knows anything about historical gnosticism.

All I am saying - don’t slam gnostics until you read… gnostics. Christianity has been dualistic since its conception, as does any religion coming from Middle eastern roots. Gnostic Christianity was actually more holistic, for many of them believed in the merging of the secular and the sacred, whereas it was the “orthodox/centrist/Pauline” church that called for the stricter dualism of sacred and secular. I leave you with saying 3 of the gnostic gospel of Thomas:

Jesus said, If those who lead you say to you, ‘See the kingdom is in the sky,’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you do not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty.”

By: brad r. on December 21, 2007
at 5:08 am

I refuse to feel guilty for striving to grow in my relationship with Christ and therefore in my spirituality. I believe I am called to be a woman of God and will continue in my journey towards that calling.
By the way, I agree that you can worship God in every day mundane things. But somehow I don’t think that when I’m gossiping while I work, while I am looking down on someone for being different, those things we all naturally do, that there is worship in that. Worship happens when you are in tune with the Holy Spirit.

By: Dana on December 21, 2007
at 6:52 am

Thanks for the comments guys, I love it.

My sarcasm is just my sense of humor. I didn’t start this blog to make people happy or change their opinions. If one is easily offended then perhaps one shouldn’t read my blog. I just like making people think. I’m fully aware that I could be wrong.

I also think there’s many ways to worship as Jill stated. And I don’t disagree with Dana’s striving to grow in her relationship or her spirituality.

Leanne, you will have to be patient. I can’t let all my secrets out right away :) ha ha ha

I guess I’ll just say this. Just because the spirit is amongst something doesn’t make that one thing good. But you’re still communing with the HS when you’re doing anything…even if it’s wrong because the spirit is always there. :)

By: pluckymama on December 21, 2007
at 10:05 pm

really great to discover this faith blog. And I like your explanation for the sarcasm being your sense of humour. Its a dance sometimes when sarcasm is your humour, and others see it as personal attack.
I intend to further enjoy these thoughts on faith.
What a pleasure to meet you today…

By: joyce on December 27, 2007
at 12:18 am

Your blog is only a bit more than two weeks old and already has 893 hits—I think that’s great.

I hope you don’t mind if I’ve put a link to your site on my blogroll. I really like your reasoned approach to the subject. For many Christians in the US (but not even all evangelicals) the action of examining beliefs using rationality and logical examination of anything beyond accepting common Biblical interpretation is equivalent to heresy.

Strike a blow for free will. Where would the world of Christian thought be if a young Jesus hadn’t questioned the teachers in the local temple?

By: rationalpsychic on January 5, 2008
at 4:00 am

thanks for adding me :)

By: pluckymama on January 5, 2008
at 6:44 am

First, I will hug you because I like you, but I want to disagree with one little thing that you said.

“But you’re still communing with the HS when you’re doing anything…even if it’s wrong because the spirit is always there.”

When you sin, I think that the Holy Spirit is still in/with you (as I don’t believe that He leaves), but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that you’re communing with him. Just like I can be sitting next to you but not partaking in your conversation… we’re not really relating at that point, but I am still there.

That’s my view, anyway. I do think that we can serve Christ through doing our weekly chores, but I do think that prayer and reading the bible (and going to some sort of “church” - even if that means just discussing things of God) are very valuable to the Christian, and shouldn’t be forsaken. :)

And you mean to tell me that I’m NOT going to get a bigger mansion than you because I like the KJV? Crap! :P

By: Kait on February 2, 2008
at 4:33 am

Sorry about the mansion thing.

I wasn’t saying that reading the Bible and what not wasn’t a valid thing to do. It’s just not going to earn you brownie points and the spirit isn’t more there than it is anywhere else…that’s all.

By: pluckymama on February 2, 2008
at 5:09 am

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