It seems to me that many of us spend a good part of our lives in searching for God. In this search we seek to make some connection with God, to receive some guidance about how we should live our lives, to seek some understanding about why we are here, and to communicate our needs, our fears, and our goals to God. And in all of this a common goal seems to seek the presence of God in our lives-a presence for which all of us seem to thirst.

Some look for God far off in the heavens and pray with great effort to reach and communicate with a God who appears to have left his people to their own resources. Some look to the bible or to the other sacred books to find a Living God, even though these books were written thousands of years ago. Others look in amazement at God's wonderful creation, including ourselves, to seek a better understanding of God and to make some connection with the God who was able to conceive and then bring about this amazing creation. For some like Moses, or Jonah or Paul or the prophets, they did not have to search for God, because God sought each of them out and then gave them a special mission to accomplish. Could this be the same for some of us?

So in view of all this, let's explore how some have made a strong connection with God and what this meant in their lives. Let's look first at the apostle Paul. We are given a clue about how Paul came to know God through his son Jesus. This is described partially in today's Epistle when Paul said, "I regard everything here as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."

What a strange thing for Paul to say, since Paul never met Jesus! Jesus was crucified before Paul ever had an opportunity to meet Jesus. It appears that the first meeting of Paul and the risen Jesus occurred as Paul was on the way to Damascus to root out and destroy the early followers of Jesus. Paul's life direction and goals were changed drastically after this meeting with the risen Jesus. He was changed from a fervent enemy into an ardent follower of this person Jesus.

And how did this knowledge of Jesus come to Paul? We know that Paul went off into the desert for a long time after his Damascus experience to sort out the direction he was going to take with his life. I believe it was during this desert time that Jesus communicated with Paul through the Spirit of God within Paul. I believe that this communication was through that same Spirit that was in the risen Jesus. Paul wanted guidance and strength about what he should do with his life and how he should do it. It seems that the Spirit within the risen Jesus gave Paul the answers he was looking for there in the desert. It seems that in this way Paul came to know God through his son Jesus. Do you think it might be the same for each of us?

I think it is interesting to note that in the recently publicized Gospels of Thomas and Mary, that this experience of Paul is supported. In these Gospels it is asserted that the Spirit of God is to be found most readily within each of us and we are exhorted to listen to that still small voice.

For example, in the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus explains that it is through this inner voice that God most readily communicates with us and reveals to us the answers we are seeking. It seems that it is through this Spirit of God within us, within others, and within each part of creation that we make those connections with God for which we thirst.

In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus said, If your leaders say to you, Look, the Father's imperial rule is in the sky, 'Then the birds of the sky will precede you'. If they say to you,'It is in the sea,' Then the fish will precede you. Rather, the Father's imperial rule is inside you and outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father."

In the Gospel of Mary, Jesus explains this message further when He said, "Acquire my peace within yourselves!" and, Be on your guard so that no one deceives you by saying, 'Look over here!' or 'Look over there!', for the seed of true humanity exists within you. Follow it! Those who search for it will find it."

Neale Walsch reinforces these assertions of Jesus about where God is most easily found in his recent book, entitled, "The Newest Revelations". In this book the thought that God is life is put forth. The thought is put forth that by living our lives more fully we will be more intimately connected to God. The thought is put forth that we become closer to God to the extent that we are able to see God as a part of each event in our daily lives-in our interactions with others and in our interactions with the other parts of creation.

We have also been told that God is love. Perhaps then by loving and by being loved we find the truest and simplest way to connect with God in our daily lives. Perhaps this is what Jesus really meant when he said, "Love God with all your soul, with all your heart, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself". Perhaps it is through the simple acts of love that we give or receive in our daily lives that we make the connections with God each of us seeks so urgently. We had a wonderful act of such love in today's Gospel when Mary washed the feet of Jesus with perfume and then wiped them with her hair.

In reflecting on these things, I thought about my own search for God. I remembered first some special times when I was a young boy living in Bedford, Virginia. One of my favorite past-times then was lying on the plush grass in front of the Episcopal Church there. I would look up at the sky and see those great fleecy clouds floating by. I was in awe at seeing such beauty in God's creation. I felt a special closeness to God in those times along with thoughts that someday I would be involved in some way in bringing others closer to God and closer to each other.

I next remembered the beautiful moment on my Cursillo many years ago when I first recognized the Spirit of God residing in each of those wonderful men there with me as we prayed together in a prayer workshop. I next remembered the wonderful glow of God's healing presence and Spirit as I was unexpectedly healed of painful bone spurs on my heels in a Kathryn coalman evangelical service in Oakland. I remember the wonderful love that was present in that place-God's love as well as the love of the people there. I finally remembered the wonderful release from the heavy burdens on my shoulders I received here on my first visit to St. Thomas in 1966. I felt then a special loving presence of God in this place and knew that in some way I would be called to serve others here.

So where does this leave us? For me all of this is summed up so well in this exhortation as a way to live our lives in fullest contact with our living God. And that exhortation is this: to live fully, to love wastefully, to become all that I can be, and to help others become all they can be. In living fully I try to be aware of God's wonderful creation and creatures all around me each day. To the extent of this awareness I am able to see and enjoy God's presence in many events each day. In loving wastefully I seek to bring joy to others through loving interactions with those I see each day with no expectation of receiving anything in return. In becoming all that I can be I try to utilize my special talents to the fullest while listening intently for that voice of God within me about how to use these talents. In helping others become all they can be I try to be aware of the talents and skills of those around me so that I can encourage and help them, if possible, to develop and use those talents to the fullest.

So where does this leave you? Do you believe that our living God communicates with us the same way that he did with Paul? Do you believe that God, through the Spirit of Jesus, reveals himself to us just as he did with Paul? There are those who say that God has not communicated any new knowledge and wisdom to us humans since the Bible was written. There are others who say that God communicates new knowledge and wisdom to each of us hundreds of times each day through the Spirit of God that is within each human being and through the Spirit of God that is in every part of creation.

What do you think about these things? What do you believe? What experiences have you had? It would be wonderful to hear your thoughts, beliefs, and experiences in our sermon discussions after the service today!

AMEN