A Note

From Pastor Ryan

As you know, we’ve been exploring the power of words this year. Starting with the word we received on the back of a paper star sometime in the first part of the year and continuing through our Lenten journey with The Difficult Words of Jesus, we have been wrestling with our words, growing into them, listening for God’s voice to teach us something or for the Holy Spirit to guide us through them.

While I’ve been carrying the word from my star with me (which is youth), another word has crept into my life this year and taken hold. That word is curiosity.

We are living in a culture and society that seems to be more concerned with certainty and being right rather than keeping an open mind and approaching things with a desire to learn or an openness to be changed. All around us—in our families, in the public square, in politics, and in religion/faith—we can see people who have drawn lines in the sand, planted their flag in one camp or another (you choose the metaphor). They become certain of something and close their hearts and minds to anything that might push back against the line they’ve drawn or the flag they’ve planted.

The antidote to this, I believe, is curiosity. Imagine how different our world would look if everyone approached everything with curiosity rather than certainty. Imagine if we approached all people, belief systems, cultures, history, science, and yes, Scripture, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and faith/religion with curiosity instead of assuming we’ve got it all already figured out. How different would all our interactions be? Think of how we could better connect with others, especially others who are different or believe differently from us, if we interact with them with a sense of wonder.

Imagine how Scripture could come alive in our hearts, minds, and souls if we approached every verse with a sense of curiosity rather than certainty. As a pastor, I have many conversations with people who hold a very rigid, certain view of Scripture. The fact is, Scripture is so ancient, so complex, so rich, and translated so many ways that we fool ourselves if we think we could ever be definitively certain of the meaning of each verse. No matter how scholarly someone becomes, how well-versed in Biblical studies, there always comes a point when knowledge gives way to interpretation.

None of us was able to walk with Moses or Abraham. None of us was able to walk with Jesus and witness his ministry firsthand (not even any of the New Testament writers). We must, instead, rely on the spoken and written accounts of who did, and interpret their interpretations of what they saw. This is where the beauty of curiosity opens up. The Scriptures are living documents, speaking in new ways to new people in new times and new places. God finds ways to speak people of every time and place through the Words that have stood the test of time, and when we approach them with curiosity, we find new ways of hearing God’s voice, new ways of experiencing Jesus’ calling, and new ways of feeling the presence of the Hoy Spirit.

Here is my challenge for you. There is a difference between embedded theology (the faith/assumptions we carry with us simply because it was taught to us by our parents/grandparents or by Sunday School teachers—the kind of faith we’ve carried since childhood and never wrestled with) and deliberative theology (the kind of faith/understanding we develop through reflection and learning, always giving deep consideration to new/unexpected/unusual/uncomfortable information). Think about any assumptions you have/are making about God, Jesus, and Scripture. What assumptions do you tend to make about faith/religion? What assumptions do you make about your neighbor or a stranger? How could you further shift your life to approach everything with curiosity? In what ways may God be trying to open your heart or mind to something new?

May you be blessed with a spirit of curiosity and wonder, and may the love of God go with you today and always,

Pastor Ryan

Email Pastor Ryan:  pastorryan@sotpmail.com