CapeConversation

We are presently exploring the notion of intimacy with Godde. The past two sessions have been conversational and controversial as well as inspiring and informative. The next two session are going to be exploratory and experiential.

Just as we can understand how two people are communicating so too can we model the communication of groups. We live in a culture of attendence. A small group of professionals produce events that we attend. Whether we’re going to the movies or going to a lecture we’re participating in something that others make happen. We’re on the receiving end; the organisers are on the delivery end. There is often little desire on the part of attendees to participate.

The dynamics are as follows:

stage => audience

In everything in life, however, we evaluate the outcome based on the stated goal. Just as we evaluate our entertainment life based on what we want so too can we evaluate our spiritual life.

If I want to see a good movie. I go to see a movie. I am able, afterwards, to distinguish between the objective and subjective aspects of the movie. Was it technically good? Did I personally enjoy it? What was the story? What did it mean to me?

The stated goal of church may likewise be summarised and evaluated. It varies from congregation to congregation. In some, it is good worship while in others good teaching. We are faced with the desire for intimacy with Godde and with the question of what that looks like in our context. What does intimacy with Godde look like? What does it mean for us to experience Godde? How can we evaluate our dynamics, as facilitators and as a community, in order to determine whether and how we’re meeting with Godde?

Session One & Two

We distinguished between a generalised experience of Godde based on what we take out of our congregational experiences versus the explicit, direct, distinct and personal encounters with Godde that are recognisably so. We recognised that we all have different personalities, different ways of relating to others. The way we relate to people is often the way that we relate to Godde.

We briefly considered two processes mystics speak about – the via negativa and the via positiva. The via negativa (apophatic tradition, negative theology) is based around getting to know who and what Godde is through arguments of denial and deconstructive logic. The via positiva (kataphatic tradition, positive theology) is about trying to get to know who and what Godde is through the use of positive arguments and constructive logic. The balanced use of both processes is important. Firstly, each of us needs to deconstruct what we bring to the notion of intimacy with Godde; secondly, each of us has to reconstruct the notion of intimacy with Godde. Like most things involving personal and emotional growth this will be a simultaneous rather than sequential process.

We also considered three senses in which the presence of Godde is used. There is the omnipresence, personal and manifest presence of Godde.

By omnipresence we mean that Godde is present in all places at all times and in all things. Finding Godde in this sense is kind of like seeing the glass as half empty or half full. Where one person considers Godde present another may not and they are both equally correct.

When speaking about the personal or personalised presence of Godde we are talking about private spirituality, about your personal spiritual life and how you connect with Godde there. Whether you generally experience Godde when you’re out walking in nature, helping those in need, participating in worship, reading scripture, etc. is going to depend largely upon who you are, what you are like, and how you engage Godde in the privacy of your inner self.

The manifest presence of Godde is distinct from, though intrinsically interrelated to, the above. As the people of Godde, S/He promises to be known to us, to be present with us not just in the general, abstract senses in which we find Godde through activities or others but also directly and personally. Some limit their experience of Godde to reading from the Bible, others to listening to sermons, and yet others to doing other spiritual things. This is kind of like limiting your restaraunt meals to reading the menu alone, your fashion to watching fashion alone, your education to attending lectures alone. The experiences of people we read about in Scripture are what Godde promises to us – that just as they received direction in dreams and visions as well as by hearing Godde’s “voice” so too can we.

All three senses of Godde’s presence is important and just as we value creativity so too ought we to value intimacy with Godde.