Daily Archives: January 25, 2007

Rest in the Infinite

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The following words are from a recent interview I read (in as issue of “What is Enlightenment?” magazine) with a theology professor named John Haught. His language is more philosophical than I usually deal with and may feel awkward to some, but his words may deepen the reverence we have for the One whom we worship and to whom we offer everything.

Sometimes people ask, “What is the evidence that the infinite exists?” For Augustine and many religious people throughout the ages, the best evidence is the utter restlessness of the human heart. You could extend that also to the restlessness of the intellect itself. We all realize that no matter how much we know, there is yet more to be known; we all realize that no matter how much we get in life, how much we have, how much we possess, we are never fully filled up by it. So there is, in a sense, a God-shaped hole at the heart of our being. That’s what Augustine was saying—our hearts are restless until we rest in the infinite.

Now the way we become aware of the infinite is not so much by knowing it as by allowing ourselves to be grasped by it. This often happens without people realizing it. For example, even a scientist is grasped by the value of the truth and surrenders his or her life to the pursuit of that truth. Whether they say so explicitly or not, I think many scientists, if not most, have made a commitment to something much larger than themselves that is inexhaustible. They realize that no matter how much they probe, the horizons will keep on receding. I associate that very closely with what theology refers to as religious experience. So we come in contact with this infinite horizon—which Augustine referred to as God—in very subtle ways that oftentimes we are not aware of. Religion simply tries to make us more explicitly aware of, and especially grateful to, that horizon of depth, that horizon of an infinite future, a horizon of infinite beauty and truth that keeps calling us, that keeps addressing us, that keeps summoning us. And in doing so, it gives us vitality, life, and meaning.

That’s a lot of lingo. What do I take from it?

Only God brings peace.

Allow Him to grasp me.

March towards the infinite horizon.
I like that.

Offering

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Offering

That’s the theme around our church this year: Offering Ourselves to God. Below was something we looked at together recently…

There’s a story about the famous violinist Fritz Kreisler. After a concert, a fan rushed up to him and gushed, “I’d give my whole life to play as beautifully as you do.”

Kreisler replied, “I did.”

None of us are strangers to the feelings expressed by the fan. We are often like Peter, who declared that he’d do whatever it took—only to learn that he had no idea what he was talking about. The sentiments were great, but intentions alone are insufficient. Good intentions make great pavement for roads we’d rather never travel, according to the old saying.

What’s needed is the actual act of offering ourselves. Anyone even vaguely familiar with the God revealed in Scripture knows that He is One who requires the commitment and devotion of any who long to side with Him. Piles of biblical concepts are built upon the idea that God’s followers will offer their entire lives to Him, as their chosen Master. Examples of this include sabbath, tithes, circumcision, sacrifices, confession, repentance, prayer, worship, baptism, fasting, charity, service, forgiveness. Minus a heartfelt desire to offer ourselves to God, these holy acts are reduced to legalistic tasks or bargaining chips that we bring before God and others.

Even more, the Scriptures display a powerful pattern: We are drawn to God and empowered by Him to the extent that we offer ourselves to Him. How many of Scripture’s wonders would not even exist, if not for the willingness of God-seekers to trust Him and step out in faith? Better question: How much of what He’d love to do in our lives and world might be limited by a lack of such servants today?

Kreisler reminds us of the level of commitment it takes to be part of something beautiful. Nothing compares to the beauty of seeing God’s work within our lives and the lives of those we love. So this year, we offer ourselves to God.