Psalm 139:14-16 (The Message)
I thank you, High God—you are breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life spread out before you,
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907 – 1972)
“Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement.....to get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; we should never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.”
When was the last time you can remember experiencing a feeling of awe? Do you remember what it felt like? In skimming around for ideas to jump-start this message I came upon this definition: “Awe is a profound reverence, a personal and unexpected reaction to seeing God at work. It is seeing or witnessing something inspiring and feeling the Spirit touch our hearts to confirm truth, expand knowledge, or reaffirm heavenly love.”
Now, that’s a very good definition. I especially like the one line that reads, "awe is…an unexpected reaction to seeing God at work,” and yet, this is still a very academic definition. Everything it says is true but there is no feeling of awe about it. It’s really rather cold: “Just the facts, mam.”
I myself much prefer Rabbi Heschel‘s statement that we opened with today: Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement … He then goes on to say that to be spiritual is to be amazed.
Abraham Joshua Heschel was a Polish-born Jewish theologian, philosopher and mystic. Descended from prominent rabbis on both sides of his family, he became a well-known and much respected rabbi himself. He was serving as a university professor when he was driven out of Poland by the Nazis and, after shuffling around Europe, ended up in the U.S. where he lived out his life (many members of his own family having been killed by the Germans). He taught in universities here and was a prolific writer – and most notably, became a prominent voice of the Civil Rights movement – often traveling and speaking with Martin Luther King, Jr., sharing Dr. King’s belief that no people are free until all people are free.
My intention in this message is not just to talk about Rabbi Heschel the whole time, though lord knows I could, but to point out that this man who suffered all that he did in his life, is the same man who wrote that one line that has grabbed my heart so, about how we should live our lives in radical amazement.
What does that phrase even mean? Amazement, Awe, Wonder – do we really allow space in our busy and conflicted lives to even consider these things?
How often do we take the time to notice what is happening around us? We have our jobs, we have to do our grocery shopping, keep our minds on our driving. We love our pets, our various animals, and we laugh at their antics, but do we ever actually properly see them for the incredible creations that they are?
Have you ever been on a hilltop at night, far away from the distractions of ambient light, when every star in the universe is visibly shining – millions of them – just out of reach of your fingertips, and realize that you can’t begin to understand what you’re seeing?
Do you ever attempt to clear your mind of all the ‘stuff’ that clutters it so that you can sit in the silence and invite the wonders of our amazing world in?
What moments do you remember from months or years back that touched something in you so deeply that you still remember it as if it were yesterday?
Radical amazement is a state of being in awe of the world and all of reality, including the act of seeing.
How would you describe those moments of connection, of understanding that once in a while pass between you and God? For me those moments would include holding my new-born daughter for the first time; certain sunsets that still move me to awe years later in my memories; the sound of Yo-Yo Ma playing his cello; singing in a large old church and hearing my own voice ringing in that space; that one moment in our old church when, in the middle of service, I realized the sanctuary was filled with those who came before us – the ones who built that place for us to gather and worship.
What are your moments?
Now, that’s a very good definition. I especially like the one line that reads, "awe is…an unexpected reaction to seeing God at work,” and yet, this is still a very academic definition. Everything it says is true but there is no feeling of awe about it. It’s really rather cold: “Just the facts, mam.”
I myself much prefer Rabbi Heschel‘s statement that we opened with today: Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement … He then goes on to say that to be spiritual is to be amazed.
Abraham Joshua Heschel was a Polish-born Jewish theologian, philosopher and mystic. Descended from prominent rabbis on both sides of his family, he became a well-known and much respected rabbi himself. He was serving as a university professor when he was driven out of Poland by the Nazis and, after shuffling around Europe, ended up in the U.S. where he lived out his life (many members of his own family having been killed by the Germans). He taught in universities here and was a prolific writer – and most notably, became a prominent voice of the Civil Rights movement – often traveling and speaking with Martin Luther King, Jr., sharing Dr. King’s belief that no people are free until all people are free.
My intention in this message is not just to talk about Rabbi Heschel the whole time, though lord knows I could, but to point out that this man who suffered all that he did in his life, is the same man who wrote that one line that has grabbed my heart so, about how we should live our lives in radical amazement.
What does that phrase even mean? Amazement, Awe, Wonder – do we really allow space in our busy and conflicted lives to even consider these things?
How often do we take the time to notice what is happening around us? We have our jobs, we have to do our grocery shopping, keep our minds on our driving. We love our pets, our various animals, and we laugh at their antics, but do we ever actually properly see them for the incredible creations that they are?
Have you ever been on a hilltop at night, far away from the distractions of ambient light, when every star in the universe is visibly shining – millions of them – just out of reach of your fingertips, and realize that you can’t begin to understand what you’re seeing?
Do you ever attempt to clear your mind of all the ‘stuff’ that clutters it so that you can sit in the silence and invite the wonders of our amazing world in?
What moments do you remember from months or years back that touched something in you so deeply that you still remember it as if it were yesterday?
Radical amazement is a state of being in awe of the world and all of reality, including the act of seeing.
- Radical amazement is a way of looking at the world without any presuppositions.
- It's a way of being grateful for the wonder of life.
- It's a way of listening, touching, feeling God with you.
How would you describe those moments of connection, of understanding that once in a while pass between you and God? For me those moments would include holding my new-born daughter for the first time; certain sunsets that still move me to awe years later in my memories; the sound of Yo-Yo Ma playing his cello; singing in a large old church and hearing my own voice ringing in that space; that one moment in our old church when, in the middle of service, I realized the sanctuary was filled with those who came before us – the ones who built that place for us to gather and worship.
What are your moments?
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