So, true to my promise to myself, I did spend the rest of the week “Hanging out with Jesus.” The reality is, of course, that most days were simply days. They were days when life filled the time, and God filled the spaces in between. I thought about how Jesus might make decisions, how He might answer questions. For the most part, though, life is simply what it is - life. On Thursday, though, I had a semi-visual experience that bordered on a visitation by the “Buddy Christ.” There I was, driving to work in the morning. I had dropped my son off at school; then I hit the freeway. Tooling along with the windows rolled slightly down to let in some morning air, I was listening to some early morning Rock-n-Roll. AC/DC came on the radio, Back in Black, I think it was. I remember thinking (as I headbanged a little bit); ‘I wonder if Jesus would listen to AC/DC.’ Just short of simultaneous to that thought, I almost heard a small laugh from the passenger seat. I glanced that direction momentarily, and in that area of consciousness we call the “mind’s eye,” I saw Jesus sitting next to me. He was laid back in the seat, with one foot perched on the seat, listening to AC/DC with me. He had one foot up on the seat, the other stretched out in front. He seemed very comfortable. He looked over at me for a moment and said, “You know, some of the attitude needs an adjustment, but the music rocks!” Then he turned his head forward and started banging his head. Of course I know it was just a little imagination at work; still, I thought, how true! I smiled a little and pulled into the church parking lot.
Later in the day, I was privileged enough to actually get to hang out with Jesus for real. I mean, you know how He said (now, I’m paraphrasing here), “Whenever you do for the least of these, you do for me?” Before I tell about it, I must give kudos where they belong – and that isn’t to me. You see, in our church we have a member who works in law enforcement and often works with individuals who are “down and out” for various reasons. Once in awhile, this person will come upon a family that is trying hard to do the right thing, but who for various reasons cannot make things fall together. When this person requests assistance for someone, our Missions Director just about always finds a way to help. These people are two of our true “Angels on Earth.” On Wednesday, I had received a phone call from our Missions Director, who told me to expect a call from the law enforcement officer. When that call came in, I heard a story that just made me shiver. It involved a long-time military person, injured in Iraq, whose family had suffered many indignities, the least of which was sudden unemployment due to the economy. I undertook the sundry steps to gathering the assistance needed to help this family. On Thursday, I called to let the veteran know that I had a check for him to pick up. On the telephone, he was so thankful and surprised that anyone, even a church, would help him and his family in their time of need. When I was finally privileged to meet him in person, I was surprised to discover that he was every much as gracious and thankful as he had seemed on the phone. We must have talked for an hour past time for the office to close. He told me his story. He told me about his family. He told me their plans. Most of all, though, he told me that because our law enforcement church member had reached out to him on a personal level; he was able to see that God was reaching out a hand to lift him up. He was honestly appreciative; his eyes were genuinely opened to the fact that for him, a person who helped others all the time, it was now time for him to know that someone cared about him. As we spoke, I saw Jesus in his humble countenance and his gentle eyes.
On Friday, I had occasion to speak with this gentleman one more time. We stood awhile in the Arizona sunshine, talking about the way that God was moving in his life and in his family. We shared common stories of having a son with Asperger’s Syndrome. Finally, for a moment, we began to talk of his experience in Iraq. It was difficult for him, and when he came to a place where he began to tell me of an incident where children were being used as shields against gunfire, his voice cracked. It was time to go; I walked over to him and gave him a hug. “God bless you and your church,” he said. I told him, “We are all the church.” I asked him to keep us updated on how things were going. “Don’t worry,” he said, “You haven’t heard the last from me." My prayers go with him and with his family. Our Missions Director and the law enforcement officer helped this man. I did nothing but listen and have a conversation; and I was reminded once again that God is in the midst of our communications. Perhaps, in a way, God is the communication.
Saturday when I awoke, I thought almost immediately of the veteran and his family. I wondered how they were doing, when they would be back on their feet. As I went about my Saturday tasks, I thought about how we come in contact with God every day, in every interaction with another. God is in the relationship. God is the relationship. Isn’t that what Jesus taught when He said, “The Kingdom of God is at hand?” It is here, right here, ready for us to partake as soon as we realize that we can. I believe that we can experience “Heaven;” or unity with God, by serving others and by being aware of the moments in which we truly connect with another. It comes from remembering that the church is not a building; God’s Word is not a book. I also believe that it comes when we realize that we do not hold a special secret unknown by others. Not all are called to be “Christian,” but that does not make those who are not any less a child of God. We are all called to serve one another in some way. Just as Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me” (Matthew 25:45), the Buddha said, “If you do not tend one another, then who is there to tend to you? Whoever would attend me, he should attend the sick.” (Vinaya, Mahavagga 8:26:3).
On Sunday, I had the honor of substituting for our vacationing Visitation Pastor in two worship services by sharing the Joys and Concerns with the congregation. As I read the names of those who were in the hospital or care facilities; those who have health or other concerns and those who simply wanted to share joys, I felt a peace come upon me that filled my heart and made my spirit soar. It was a metaphysical experience. As I led the congregation in prayer, I was connected to them all. I was part of a great gestalt of energy, focused on none other than the task of helping others through the act of praying. I was one with them. We were one with God. You just know that Jesus had to be there.
As far as I am concerned, this little “experiment” was a success. I discovered new ways of looking at my day and new attitudes about the events that occur during a day. I found myself being playful and imaginative when I considered how I might behave if Jesus really were around. Mostly, though, I found that my sense of God’s Presence as a way to “Hang Out With Jesus” is an enlightening and freeing concept. As I have said, God is always present. If we wish to experience that Divine Presence, we must be aware of it. As I take on the task of following the Way of the Christ – that is, following Jesus, I find a tangible example of how to see God in all things. If I stop but a moment in my daily rush, I will sense the Spirit, and in that I shall hear the whisper of God’s voice.
And so I go on; the experiment done, I will step now into a daily life in which I will remember, now and again, that I am always “Hanging Out with Jesus,” and to stop in the moments of silence and listen.
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