Exploration

For generations Christians have spent countless hours wading through all the biblical stories that are sometimes familiar to us and sometimes not. It’s easy to get lost in the chapters and verses. Even as a pastor, though I may have read them all, I only have a few stories implanted in my memory. What fascinates me about Scripture is it’s limitless-ness. Rarely does the Bible speak to how characters feel about what’s going on around them. Rarely we are given desired context. Never does the writer tell the reader how to interpret the stories that they share. Indulging my inquisitive impulse, I tend to obsess about the “why” question. Though the Bible may have a front cover and a back cover, the exploration it invites can go on for eternity.

For example, why did Ruth travel with Naomi after her husband died? If Ruth leaves with her mother-in-law to go to a foreign land, she’ll have no rights, no resources, no status, and no protection. Ruth will be an outsider with nothing, but she still goes with her. We certainly hear about their loving relationship. Ruth proclaims “Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people shall be my people, your God my God. Where you die, I’ll die, and that’s where I’ll be buried. So help me God, not even death itself is going to come between us” (Ruth 1:16-17). Now don’t get me wrong, I love my mother-in-law, but that’s passion. We hear nothing about why this kind of love and adoration for one another exists. One’s imagination is left to fill-in what the Bible leaves out. It’s in this creative space, this uncharted territory, where we meet the Holy Spirit.

God is calling us into an exploration of our faith that is deeper. We must ask the bigger questions about God, using love as our compass. Questions like, where does love come from, how do we tap into it, and why does love matter? These are the questions that will always be relevant. Humanity is still asking these kinds of questions. People today may be generally less religious, but I promise, they’re not less spiritual. In fact, this uncharted space is more valued now than it ever has been before. We will never know why Ruth stayed with Naomi, but it’s the exploration that matters more than the answer.

Deepening one’s faith will not happen if we treat the Bible like a textbook and Sunday School like a classroom. Faith cannot be indoctrinated. Jesus is not a mascot, guru, or magician. God is experiential. God is relational. Jesus is lived. Once we live Jesus, our faith will be deepened and we will prosper. It’s on purpose that Jesus was inquisitive and curious about those he encountered. Jesus asked 307 questions and he only answered 3. The people around Jesus who didn’t follow him were not a threat, they were his mission. As Christians, we invite questioning, critical thinking, exploration, and doubt. We not only invite it, but we count it as a requirement for meaningful and transformational spiritual growth. Here at Messiah, no one has to check science, reality, and reasoning at the door. Bring it with you because it only helps us explore!

Lost on purpose,

Pr. Lucas McSurley

Photo by Ali Kazal