When I was a teenager, my mother married for the second time. Her second husband was a Spiritualist and ran a Spiritualist church in Bromley. He was very fond of the idea of a spirit guide - who were normally, it seemed to me, to be dead native Americans! These guides would, so it seemed, tell you everything you wanted to know about your "past lives". (I have enough to handle with my "present" life.) Black Elk of the Sioux Nation moved, so it seemed, freely between the "seen" world and the "unseen" world where he was in contact with many.
In some quarters, to be without a Spirit guide is like going to a royal garden party without a hat or a suit. Spirit guides in one form or another have been a part of the human religious psyche since the beginning of recorded history. Simply put, spirit guides represent some kind of personalized link between the visible, physical world and the invisible, spiritual world. Spirit guides do everything from put you in touch with a lost relative to helping you find the meaning of your life. All kinds of people claim to be able to help you get in touch with "your" spirit guide. Some are quite sincere, others are outright charlatans and some are just plainly off the wall.
Whether it be spirit guides, "Psychic Hotline", the astrology guide in your newspaper or Mystic Meg's crystal ball there is a tremendous search for meaning, direction and purpose in our culture. New Age writer Deepak Chopra says it this way, "There seems to be a hole in the middle of everyday life, as if a rock had been thrown through a plate glass window. But instead of a physical hole, one could call this a 'meaning,' hole..."
Chopra has emerged as one of the most popular spiritual gurus of our age with his blend of Western medicine and Hindu spirituality. Chopra's books, audio and video tape series have found hundreds of thousands of anxious, searching consumers seeking to find the, "fulfilment of your dreams", promised in the audio book, "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success." I've heard Chopra described as a, "Pagan Hindu Philosopher" -- but this begs the question: why do people from Christian traditions have to search outside the Christian tradition to gain direction for filling the "meaning hole"?
Chopra's religious roots and our Christian roots are physically and spiritually "worlds apart." -- quite literally. Nevertheless, this "meaning hole" has the power of a vacuum and will draw in the closest available answer regardless of where it comes from. As Christians we are obliged to rediscover the amazing inner life Jesus promised his followers -- the "Spirit Life" we westerners have shunned for so long. An incident reported in some newspapers some years back is instructive.
The Associated Press ran a story about a virus that infected a flock of Canada geese. The virus destroyed their navigation system. They flew in circles, became disoriented and got lost. Can you believe that? Canada geese getting lost? It was devastating for the flock. Thousands of geese died. What an incredible consequence because of a loss of ability to navigate.
There is an equally devastating consequence that takes place when we lose our spiritual bearings. In the deepest spiritual sense, we don't know where we're going, can't remember our destination, and wind up totally lost. Life becomes a maze and we are ripe for someone or something to come along and fill the void. As the geese were designed with an inner navigational system, we were designed to have a spiritual guidance system. That's part of being created in the image of God. The problem is that our guidance system has failed and left us with a spiritual vacancy -- or in classical theological terms, sin has brought about a malfunction. Reconciliation with God through Jesus can bring us "online" once again.
Jesus promised to his followers a Spirit who would, "...guide you into all truth..." In other words, we were designed to have an inner spiritual guide. That Spirit Guide is not a dead native American or an ancient Egyptian priest or the voice on the other end of the psychic hotline -- the authentic, one and only God-given Spirit Guide is the Spirit Guide Jesus promised to his followers two thousand years ago! "When the Spirit of truth comes, the Spirit will guide you into all the truth..." Spirit life is living with the confidence that we are in relationship with the Spirit of God who gives meaning, direction, and purpose from within.
Spirit life is for everyone, not for the few or the extraordinary. We need only begin to give earnest attention to these clues from the gospel reading.
I. Meaning - It's an Ongoing Process - Jesus' words make it clear that spiritual growth is an ongoing process. He told his followers that there was no way they could comprehend everything he wanted to teach them -- but, as time went on the Spirit would lead them into full understanding. Notice the 13th verse. Jesus does not say, "...the Spirit will zap you into all the truth!" The Spirit will guide, not zap. Not only that -- the language here can rightfully be translated, "...the Spirit will guide and keep on guiding you..." In other words, there is no magic bullet and no short cut to authentic living that delivers meaning, direction and purpose. One of the difficulties of our culture is that we are so goal and destination driven, we miss the joy of the journey. Translated into our faith experience, this makes us vulnerable to the notion of Christian faith as a kind of "reservation" for heaven. Everything between today and our arrival at the "Pearly Gates" is marking time. The degree to which we buy into this will be the degree to which we experience a loss of meaning in our life of faith. Life is living -- a process -- and faith which provides meaning for living will be a faith that intersects my life daily on the journey. The journey cannot end with the completion of Sunday School or with confirmation, or with formally joining the Church. One of the really unfortunate things I encounter, is when people, church people, come to times of crisis in their lives and simply do not have the spiritual resources to cope. The spiritual substance isn't there because there was no consistent development since elementary or adolescent years. In fact an old principle might be restated by saying, "If my spiritual resources are not growing, they are dying." The guidance which leads to meaning comes to me as I open my journey to the Spirit who is given as a gift of One to journey with me.
II. Direction - It's a Certain Source - There is a key question you should keep handy for any religious or spiritual claims that come your way. It is simply, "Where did you get that?" Actually this is a good question for many areas of our living. Answers can be anything from, "I read it in the paper." to "An ancient Persian priest told me in a trance." With religious propositions, the question is critical. Consider the following: "There is a spaceship behind a comet that is going to take true believers to the next level of being." If you should hear something along that line, you should of course ask, "Where did you get that?" Most spiritual misdirection will not be so outrageous, it can be appealing, smooth, deceptive and seductive. People are falling for and being deceived by "false prophets" all day, every day. When you hear any religious claim, the question needs to be asked, "Where did you get that?" In fact, this is a question that can well be asked of the teaching and preaching that comes from the pulpits of churches. Ask it of me! "Where did you get that?" Jesus makes it clear that even the Spirit -- our inner Guide -- is not speaking on "his own", but speaks what is heard from the Maker. There is a certain source for the direction we seek and that source is God's own self. William Barclay said, "Truth is not our discovery, it is God's gift." When you nourish your relationship with the Spirit who gives us direction from within, you open your life to the guidance that comes from God.
III. Purpose - It's a Clear Goal - There is a very simple goal to the whole issue of spiritual guidance. There is a profoundly transforming power to the goal of the Spirit within who guides us. The goal is this, "You will glorify me." That is, the Spirit who guides us from within has the ultimate aim of lifting up, bringing honour to and causing praise to be given to Jesus.
How To Apply It All - Most of us have simply not given much attention to our inner life. The outer dimension of living is dominant in our culture. However, the meaning, direction and purpose our spirits are hungry for requires development of the inner life. There are three basic commitments we can make to enhance the work of God's Spirit within. Do these without fail for thirty days. You will discover a difference that will encourage you to invest in the development of your inner life.
1. Upon waking in the morning -- before you charge into the day, invite the Holy Spirit within you to accompany you throughout your day. Do it every day!
2. Upon waking in the morning, after you have invited the Holy Spirit to accompany you throughout your day, think of one of the basic principles that governs your day -- directs you life -- and ask yourself, "Where did you get that?" Do it every day!
3. Upon waking in the morning, after you have invited the Holy Spirit to accompany you throughout your day and after looking at one of the basic principles that governs your day, pray silently, "Spirit of God, shape the person of Jesus more fully in my life today." Do it every day!
At first glance this might seem to have an ivory tower, ring to it. A wonderful notion that applies to people like St. Francis of Assisi or Mother Theresa. But what possible connection could this purpose have to do with the life of a "run of the mill" person like me? What does this have to do with living in a dangerous world, getting along with my grumpy boss or bringing some strength to my floundering relationship? The answer is not simply the heart of this message -- it is the heart of the faith! The meaning of our scripture reading today is that the Spirit who lives and guides us from within has the purpose of shaping the person and the power of Jesus in our lives. Our "Spirit Guide" has the purpose of nourishing us toward everything God designed us to be!
This sermon was first preached in the Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester. Click here for further information.