“God is still speaking.” This simple affirmation is the cornerstone of an identity campaign for my denomination, the United Church of Christ.
It is part of a slightly longer affirmation borrowed in part from comedienne Gracie Allen: “Never put a period where God has put a comma… God is still speaking.” This motto is accompanied in our church’s resources with an image of a large, friendly looking, black comma.
I have appreciated this movement in our wider church especially because I believe it reveals a deep theological truth in terms anyone can understand.
I am convinced that God is still very active in our world, speaking to us, leading us, helping us solve problems, giving us perspective, wisdom and insight.
God speaks in a variety of ways.God speaks through ancient texts and traditions. One of our UCC forbears, Pilgrim minister John Robinson, taught his congregation that “he was very confident the Lord had more truth and light yet to break forth out of his holy Word.”
As we engage in a search for wisdom through scripture, God speaks in new ways out of old words.
We do not take the Bible literally in our tradition, but we take it seriously as an inspired well of wisdom from our spiritual ancestors.
God speaks through faith communities. In the United Church of Christ we trust in the gathered community of the faithful as a vessel of the Holy Spirit.
While as individuals we may become deluded by what we think God is saying, our faith community acts as a check to our egos, a sounding board, a listening ear and an encouraging circle of friends as we try to discover God’s will.
God speaks through the still, small voice of the heart. God is speaking when we find peace in a troubled time. God is speaking when we discover strength we didn’t know we had while facing a challenge. God is speaking when we find ourselves able to forgive what once seemed unforgivable. God is speaking when we are led to a surge of generosity in response to a need.
God speaks through genius of all varieties as God leads our world to its greatest potential. I believe God is working in all creativity that is aimed at compassion, healing, reconciliation, beauty and problem solving for the common good.
An inspiration need not sound “religious” to attribute creative insight to a still-speaking God.
Faith in an active — though not coercive — God gives great hope. Looking at the great mess we have made of much of our world (the Gulf of Mexico, for instance, disastrously polluted by oil) might lead us to despair if we thought we were completely on our own.
Although we need to take such problems very seriously, we may avoid the darkness of desolation by remembering that God is at this very moment involved in helping creative, compassionate people find a way to repair the damage that has been done.
Perhaps God is speaking as well to each of us to encourage us to find and use more sustainable, less dangerous energy sources.
While I do not expect God to swoop in and rescue us, I do trust God to work at redeeming the situation to bring some future good, some fresh creativity out of a bad situation.
God is still speaking. This I believe. Are we still listening?
Rev. Dr. Dee Eisenhauer is the senior pastor of Eagle Harbor Congregational United
Church of Christ.
