Close encounters

Are you ready for another of those Biblical "once upon a time" moments?  The art of story telling can be a means of entertainment and instruction, especially when the plot of the story includes a close encounter with majestic mystery.

Today's reading is another of those Old Testament stories filled with all sorts of dramatic details.

I can imagine (ever so inadequately, perhaps) the astonishment that washed over Gideon when his efforts to protect his interests were interrupted by God.  The story teller spares no detail to help us get a grasp of the what its like to be reminded that God has plans for us that may require us to set aside what we are doing, to listen, and then proceed in a different way.

I don't know about you, but what I can't imagine is how Gideon pulled himself together enough to engage in conversation with a presence that might look like this:

I find it equally intriguing that Gideon has the nerve (the chutzpah!) after listening to the divine instructions to tell the messenger something like:  "Hey, wait here a minute, I'll be right back!  I have something I need to get for you."

And then after the extraordinary reception of Gideon's offering, the visitor disappears, leaving the human, believe it or not, with a sense of peace!

I can't help but wonder how this reading meets me (or you) in everyday, 21st century life?  We often willingly subject ourselves to all sorts of fantastic visual and auditory story telling (has anybody missed the IMAX experience or blue-ray viewing?)  But so often those experiences are ones initiated by us for entertainment or escape, not for application to our specific personal challenges.

What would it look like if God broke into whatever situation you face today and said:  Here's my idea about what you should do about this!  What might be your response if  (or when) you encounter something majestic and mysterious in your seemingly ordinary activities?  What if you were interrupted by God's dream for what YOU can do for the good of others?   It could be a thought, or a wonderment.  It might be an emergence of something previously unforeseen.  It might be something that upends your expectations and alters your perception of what is possible.

What would it look like if faith drew you beyond astonishment, beyond whatever inclination you had to try to maintain your own nerve?  What if you responded to the close encounter with deep trust, unbounded hope, and an abiding sense of peace?