What'd You Do? - Nothin'-
Just Hangin' Out
Some of my best times have been doing nothing with other people. You know the list...
- Watching TV together.
- Listening to music together.
- Reading books in the same room.
- Watching a sunset together.
"Oh. Nothing. Just hung out."
Thanks to a line in a sermon for this week at America by John R. Donahue, I realized that this is really what Jesus is talking about when he uses the phrase:
Abide in me and I will abide in you.Just hangin' with Jesus. Those "hangin' times" with others are really essential and irreplaceable in life. Connections are made at those times that are the very heart of life in relationship with others. It isn't only the profound, life-changing moments that make life what it is. It is also the sharing of experiences- day-in and day-out experiences of common life that build those connections.
Such is it in our relationship with Jesus. There may be "mountain-top" experiences that get our attention and bring us to an awareness of Jesus, but it is in the hangin' around times that we make these experiences real. Yes, I am talking about times set aside for prayer and meditation. But even more so I am thinking of seeing a sunset and feeling like you are with Him. Becoming aware of His presence in the passenger's seat as you drive to work. Sitting on a lakeshore and listening to the sounds of His world and knowing it is His world.
Oh, yes, for our production-oriented culture, there is even a "concrete" advantage to all this. As we abide hang out with him we will also be more fruitful. Now I don't want to make this sound like a wealth and prosperity message. The fruit if for Jesus, not for me. Like the vine and the branches, the fruit has nothing to do wthe the vine or the branches. It is for others or for the expansion of the vine to new places. So, if you are one of those "What's the results?" people, this also has something for you.
In short, just hangin' with Jesus. Neat!
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