What If God Is Already Here?

One of the great temptations of religion is the temptation to believe that God is only found in certain places, among certain people, or within certain boundaries we have created. We may never say that out loud, but we often live as though it were true.

We expect God to appear in church, but not necessarily in the struggles of daily life. We expect holiness in prayer books and sanctuaries, but not always in ordinary conversations, shared meals, or the life of the wider community. Sometimes we become so focused on protecting our understanding of God that we fail to notice where God is already at work.

The readings for this Sunday push against that temptation.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul stands in Athens surrounded by people who do not share his faith tradition. He could have responded with anger or condemnation. Instead, he begins with attention and wonder. He listens. He observes. He notices an altar dedicated “to an unknown god,” and from there he proclaims a God who is not confined to temples or controlled by human systems. Paul says that God is the One “in whom we live and move and have our being.”

That is a radical statement.

It means God is not distant from creation. God is not absent from the world. God is not waiting only inside church walls while the rest of life unfolds somewhere else. The presence of God surrounds us even when we fail to recognize it.

The psalm appointed for Sunday echoes this truth. Again and again there is an invitation to “come and see” what God has done. The psalmist speaks honestly about hardship and struggle, but still insists that God remains present and active. Faith is not pretending everything is fine. Faith is learning to recognize that God continues to move even in difficult and uncertain times.

Jesus speaks similarly in John’s Gospel when he tells the disciples that they will not be left abandoned. The Spirit of God will remain with them. Not occasionally. Not only when they feel spiritually confident. The Spirit will abide with them.

That matters because we live in a culture formed by distraction, fear, and division. It has become increasingly common to treat other people as threats before we ever learn their stories. We sort ourselves into camps, assume the worst about one another, and sometimes even wrap that fear in religious language.

But a resurrection faith calls us toward something different.

The risen Jesus sends disciples into the world not to withdraw from it in suspicion, but to engage it with courage, compassion, and hope. The Church is not called to build walls around grace. The Church is called to help people recognize the presence of God already nearer than they imagined.

As Episcopalians we speak often about sacramental living. We believe ordinary things can reveal holy grace: water, bread, wine, touch, conversation, community. Perhaps part of our Easter calling is to recover the ability to see the world that way again. God is closer than we think.

Closer in the individual neighbor we struggle to understand. Closer in the act of mercy that interrupts bitterness. Closer in the shared meal, the difficult conversation, the unexpected kindness, and the community that continues to gather even when the world feels fractured.

The challenge for us is not whether God is present.

The challenge is whether we are paying attention.

Kevin+