December is for Reflective Practice
While there was no official tally, when I was in seminary, I believe the words “energy” and “mystery” were used most often to describe the notion of the holy. It did not matter if the student believed in God or what faith they identified with. When pressed to define what we meant by these words—does mystery have a consciousness? Can energy intervene in our lives? Most of us tried to explain through examples—often referred to as religious and spiritual experiences (RSE)—to describe that which we knew to be true, but could not define. For one, it was a miraculous recovery of a child. For another, a biochemist, it was the awe of emergence. Emergence describes phenomena, like how molecules of hydrogen and oxygen combine to make a substance, water, with properties neither individual contains. It was an opportunity to reflect not on what you believe, but on what you wonder about. As the season of longest night descends upon the Northwoods, I hope you find time to reflect on the wonder that you’ve encountered over the past year. I look forward to exploring the numinous, the ineffable, mystery and energy in services and small groups throughout the month.
In community,
Stacy