Finding God in the Ordinary: Embracing Advent's Invitation
Summary
In this Advent season, we are reminded of the profound choice we have in our daily lives: to live with God or without Him. The essence of Jesus' coming is to invite us into a life with God, a life that is enriched by His presence in the ordinary and the mundane. My conversation with Ian Sim highlighted the beauty and significance of finding God in the common aspects of life. Ian shared his journey from a reluctant preacher to a lead pastor, emphasizing how God uses ordinary moments to shape extraordinary paths.
Ian's story is a testament to the power of God's call, even when we feel unqualified or reluctant. His journey began with a reluctant sermon on Moses, which, despite being a "train wreck," was a pivotal moment that set him on a path of ministry. This journey underscores the idea that God often uses our weaknesses and failures to reveal His strength and purpose.
A central theme of our discussion was the concept of beauty and its role in our spiritual lives. Ian emphasized that beauty is not just an aesthetic experience but a spiritual one that invites us to see God's presence in the ordinary. He quoted Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who said, "Earth is crammed with heaven," urging us to take off our shoes and recognize the sacred in the everyday. This perspective challenges us to slow down, be present, and appreciate the beauty around us, which is often overlooked in our hurried lives.
We also explored the idea of interruptibility, drawing from Jesus' life and teachings. Jesus' ministry was marked by interruptions, and many of His miracles occurred in these moments. This challenges us to be open to God's work in unexpected ways and to see interruptions as opportunities for divine encounters.
Finally, we discussed the significance of the table as an altar, a place where we can encounter God in the midst of our daily routines. Whether it's a dining table, a boardroom table, or a lunchroom table, each can be a sacred space where we experience God's presence and grace.
Key Takeaways:
1. God in the Ordinary: Embrace the Advent season as a reminder that God is present in the ordinary moments of life. Jesus came into the world in a common way, and His presence transforms the mundane into the sacred. By slowing down and being present, we can recognize God's work in our everyday lives. [06:12]
2. Beauty as a Spiritual Invitation: Beauty is not just an aesthetic experience but a spiritual one that invites us to see God's presence. By paying attention to beauty, we open ourselves to God's invitation to see the world through a kingdom lens, recognizing His work in the ordinary. [07:06]
3. The Power of Interruptibility: Jesus' life was marked by interruptions, and many of His miracles occurred in these moments. Being open to interruptions allows us to encounter God in unexpected ways and to see them as opportunities for divine encounters. [12:09]
4. Presence as the Medium of Love: Presence is essential for love, and slowing down allows us to be truly present with others and with God. By turning off distractions and being fully engaged, we can cultivate deeper relationships and a more profound awareness of God's presence. [13:51]
5. Every Table as an Altar: The table is a universal piece of furniture that can become a sacred space where we encounter God. By seeing every table as an altar, we can experience God's presence and grace in our daily routines, transforming ordinary moments into opportunities for worship and intimacy. [27:22]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:51] - Life with God
[01:06] - Introduction to Ian Sim
[02:30] - Ian's Spiritual Journey
[03:42] - The Reluctant Leader
[05:24] - Becoming a Lead Pastor
[06:12] - Finding God in the Common
[07:06] - Beauty as Invitation
[10:14] - The Pace of Life
[12:09] - The Interruptibility of Jesus
[13:51] - Presence and Love
[15:28] - The Value of Beauty
[17:33] - Jesus' Life and Ministry
[19:49] - The Parable of the Good Samaritan
[22:10] - Sustainable Living
[27:22] - Every Table as an Altar
[29:39] - Closing Thoughts
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Exodus 3:1-5 - The story of Moses and the burning bush, which relates to the idea of recognizing the sacred in the ordinary.
2. Luke 10:25-37 - The Parable of the Good Samaritan, illustrating the importance of being interruptible and open to divine encounters.
3. John 1:14 - "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us," emphasizing the incarnation of Jesus in the ordinary.
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Observation Questions:
1. How did Ian Sim's initial reluctance to preach mirror the story of Moses as a reluctant leader? [03:42]
2. What role does beauty play in our spiritual lives according to Ian Sim, and how does it invite us to see God's presence? [07:06]
3. How does the concept of "interruptibility" manifest in Jesus' life and ministry, as discussed in the sermon? [12:09]
4. What significance does the table hold as a sacred space in our daily routines, according to the sermon? [27:22]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the story of Moses and the burning bush relate to the idea of finding God in the ordinary moments of life? [06:12]
2. In what ways does the Parable of the Good Samaritan challenge us to be more open to interruptions in our daily lives? [19:49]
3. How does the incarnation of Jesus, as described in John 1:14, transform our understanding of the sacredness of the ordinary? [05:57]
4. What does it mean to see every table as an altar, and how can this perspective change our interactions with others? [27:22]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a recent moment when you felt unqualified or reluctant to take on a task. How might God be using that experience to shape your path? [03:42]
2. Identify a mundane aspect of your daily routine. How can you intentionally seek to recognize God's presence in that moment this week? [06:12]
3. Consider a recent interruption in your life. How can you reframe such interruptions as opportunities for divine encounters? [12:09]
4. Think of a time when you overlooked beauty in your surroundings. What practical steps can you take to slow down and appreciate beauty in your daily life? [07:06]
5. How can you create a sacred space at your dining table or another table in your life to foster deeper connections with God and others? [27:22]
6. Reflect on your current pace of life. What changes can you make to ensure you are living at a pace that allows you to hear from God? [12:47]
7. Identify a specific relationship in your life where you need to be more present. What actions can you take to cultivate presence and love in that relationship? [13:51]
Devotional
Day 1: Recognizing God in the Mundane
In the Advent season, we are invited to see God's presence in the ordinary moments of life. Jesus' coming into the world in a humble and common way reminds us that the divine can be found in the mundane. By slowing down and being present, we can recognize God's work in our everyday lives. This perspective encourages us to embrace the ordinary as sacred and to find joy and meaning in the simple aspects of life. [06:12]
"Thus says the Lord: 'Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.' But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'" (Jeremiah 6:16, ESV)
Reflection: What ordinary moment in your day can you pause to recognize as sacred and filled with God's presence?
Day 2: Beauty as a Window to the Divine
Beauty is more than an aesthetic experience; it is a spiritual invitation to see God's presence in the world. By paying attention to beauty, we open ourselves to God's invitation to see the world through a kingdom lens, recognizing His work in the ordinary. This perspective challenges us to slow down and appreciate the beauty around us, which is often overlooked in our hurried lives. [07:06]
"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple." (Psalm 27:4, ESV)
Reflection: What is one beautiful thing you can intentionally notice today that reflects God's presence in your life?
Day 3: Embracing Interruptions as Divine Opportunities
Jesus' life was marked by interruptions, and many of His miracles occurred in these moments. Being open to interruptions allows us to encounter God in unexpected ways and to see them as opportunities for divine encounters. This perspective encourages us to be flexible and open to God's work in our lives, even when it comes in unexpected forms. [12:09]
"And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'" (Mark 10:17, ESV)
Reflection: How can you be more open to interruptions today, seeing them as potential opportunities for divine encounters?
Day 4: Presence as the Foundation of Love
Presence is essential for love, and slowing down allows us to be truly present with others and with God. By turning off distractions and being fully engaged, we can cultivate deeper relationships and a more profound awareness of God's presence. This perspective challenges us to prioritize presence over productivity, recognizing that love is best expressed through our undivided attention. [13:51]
"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Psalm 46:10, ESV)
Reflection: What is one distraction you can set aside today to be more present with someone you love or with God?
Day 5: Transforming Tables into Sacred Spaces
The table is a universal piece of furniture that can become a sacred space where we encounter God. By seeing every table as an altar, we can experience God's presence and grace in our daily routines, transforming ordinary moments into opportunities for worship and intimacy. This perspective encourages us to view our daily interactions and meals as opportunities to connect with God and others in meaningful ways. [27:22]
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42, ESV)
Reflection: How can you transform your next meal into a sacred moment of connection with God and those around you?
Quotes
"Advent we are uh in the Advent season and we're thinking about how do we find God in the world here's the deal today you're going to do life you can do it with God you can do it without God it's better to do it with them and that was the whole reason behind Jesus coming." [00:00:38]
"Yeah as I just started doing life with people ministering with people like in the mess of their actual existence I realized that that we had created this kind of dichotomous relationship in the church world where there was all this attention and money kind of given to the big and the grandiose and our people were kind of articulating that's I don't live in the big and the grandiose there are Mountaintop moments but most of my life has lived in the ordinary and does God have anything to say or show me in in the in the mundane the the common that's like right under our noses." [00:06:14]
"Where truth and goodness try to convince Beauty seeks to invite like there's an invitation to how do we pay attention you know Dallas wer says the the the first duty of love is to give attention right it is the it is the Lord open my eyes to what you're doing right here and now and I didn't realize how trajectory shifting that conversation would be for me and how do we how do we help people not just navigate the massive highs and lows because we'll hit those two but the the middle space that most of us occupy." [00:07:06]
"Presence is the medium of love and if if the aim for us is not just to be loving but to become a people of love that will require presence and slowing down and and being honest about you know this is a formation device it's not just technology if it's the first thing we reach for and the last thing we look at it's it's forming it's doing something to us yes and I'm not antisocial media and anti- Technology but I I think we have to be honest about the kinds of people that it is developing us into." [00:13:51]
"There's this uh this phrase from the first century that emerged that I have been so captivated by for probably the last eight or nine years now and the phrase is something like every table is an altar and the notion that and we know this and we preach sermons like this that God doesn't live at an address and he's not beholden to some day of the week right you know spirited and truth and yet for me seeing the table as this opportunity this place for worship for presence for intimacy for Mission like I want to begin praying not just on Earth as it is in heaven but saying Lord at at this table as it is in heaven." [00:27:22]
"More than 50% of his miracles were interruptions he had an agenda he had a plan he was going somewhere else and he was interrupted and one of the things I'll try to keep before our staff obviously there are objectives and there are things we need to actually do and we need to be good stewards of our time but so often we air so far on that extreme that we're not interruptable that no one or nothing could possibly interject into my airtight schedule for the day." [00:12:09]
"There's a uh uh Victorian era poet named Elizabeth bar Browning and she said something like uh Earth is crammed with heaven and every common Bush of fire with God but only those who see take off their shoes and that kind of became a prayer for me like okay if if if the kingdom of God is is both here and not yet if part of the prayer isn't just to sort of hunker down for 90 years and then disembodied evacuation when I stopped breathing here in planet Earth but to see the kingdom of God here and now." [00:08:46]
"I think of the book three mile hour God you know the whole premise is if if love has a speed it's probably the walking speed of Jesus and is it possible that we're going at a pace much faster than that and that we miss out on much of the activity of God simply because is we're either going too fast or we're way too distracted and I've been really convicted by by both those things in the season." [00:10:14]
"Does your pace of life look like that of someone that actually wants to hear from God and that say that say that question one more time he says does your pace of life look like that of someone who actually wants to hear from God and I knew the answer to that like he didn't have to tell me it was you know he he he always had these py truisms he's like the problem is a lot of people have space for God on their heart but not their calendar like it's it's becomes this this disconnect." [00:13:51]
"Every table is an altar has just this been this refrain that has helped re-calibrate for me because the table is such a universal piece of furniture you know everyone everyone has one and maybe isn't a dining room table maybe for you it's a boardroom table or maybe it's a lunchroom table or maybe it's a poker table I don't know like what would it look like for the kingdom of God to pray at this table as it is in heaven at every table we sit at I mean so much of Jesus's Ministry is around tables he's either at a meal coming from a meal or going to a meal at the very least that has to be worthy of our attention like okay something profoundly sacred something something beautifully kingdom is happening at tables." [00:27:22]
"Most of us simply count our blessings like what if we started to savor them in a way that was was really intentional Lord help me to be more mindful of even like the small lowercase G gratitudes throughout my day and those tiny disciplines is back to the common like it it isn't like oh I discovered I had a million dollars at the bank I didn't know it was there hooray it's more like oh this has always been here yeah and I just I wasn't pay it's it's Jacob right surely the Lord was in this place and I was not aware of it Lord make me more aware I the thing that I think has been haunting for me but also kind of a blessing is that we're always In God's Presence his presence is never what's lacking what's often lacking is my awareness of it and that has been such a seismic shift for me." [00:24:42]
"One of the things I'll try to keep before our staff obviously there are objectives and there are things we need to actually do and we need to be good stewards of our time but so often we air so far on that extreme that we're not interruptable that no one or nothing could possibly interject into my airtight schedule for the day and I had a mentor years ago asked me this question and my my life has been marked by like really faithful men and women who have had the courage to tell me the hard truth about myself and he said Ian does your pace of life look like that of someone that actually wants to hear from God." [00:12:09]
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