Something very big

If you havn't watched that woman's video I recently sent the link to (http://deathisnotdying.com/eventvideo/) this may not come across, but as I watched it I was reminded of how the connection that Christians have, are supposed to have, seems so much to be so much just merely words. Not that that is small or not powerful (inner states are reflected in one's words), but it is the hesitant intellectual groping for tangible explanation of it all each believer is left to do. "He...died....for..me, so...that..." That type of thing. I know it's real, and I know there are experiences people can't talk about as well, but it makes me think of -- conscious shocks.

Look at this very common section of a church's statement of beliefs:

"(12) Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordained by the Lord Jesus himself. The former is connected with entrance into the new covenant community, the latter with ongoing covenant renewal. Together they are simultaneously God’s pledge to us, divinely ordained means of grace, our public vows of submission to the once crucified and now resurrected Christ, and anticipations of his return and of the consummation of all things."

Think of how the first and second conscious shocks correspond to these two sacraments. How they are the deeper teaching, the deeper experience of them. Self-remembering as an act that puts one in the presence of God (entrance). And the conscious shock of 'eating' suffering, or eating friction, (fake, real, whatever), that second conscious shock, as the 'ongoing renewal' of our being in the covenant or Kingdom of God.

Conscious labor, intentional suffering. This really speaks to the example of Jesus which is our example and forerunner.

This is tangible (and I don't speak as a Greek who always needs to see a sign). After all sacraments are signs. Visual parables. If just seen as ritual they are 'something', but God the Holy Spirit does lead some into the deeper teaching of it.

Jesus also said be awake and love your enemies. The same conscious shocks. The Work tells us what occurs within us when those shocks are effected. When we also see them in the context of worship (presence of God) and spiritual warfare (assaulting heaven) our valuation is changed.

We have, in effect, a real, practical understanding of the faith that is practiced right here, right now. And the closer we get internally and vertically to what we know as Real I the closer we get to Jesus (we have something practical to realize that with), and the closer we get to objective consciousness the more we are in the Kingdom of God now. - C.