Reflections

Let’s ponder for a moment the omnipotence of God. It is mind-blowing.

He is capable of doing the most difficult of tasks by opening His mouth and taking a breath.

His whispers can level towns like matchsticks.
The thunder of His voice resounds for miles.
Hurricanes & tornados are only shadows of His strength.

The stroke of His finger carves out canyons.
The palm of His hand molds stone into mountains.
He wields the waves as He wishes.

He heals lepers.
He causes the blind to see.
He parts waters.
He breaks down walls.

He has the power to save the lost;
to call to the dying, the broken, the damaged;
to change an evil and sinister heart into good.

In His power we are restored;
we find salvation;
we find rest.

He does not keep His power to Himself but shares it with us through the Holy Spirit.

His strength sustains us when we are too weak to move.
His strength upholds us when we cannot go another step further.

But perhaps the greatest display of His power is in His restraint of it. He could smite down this dark and evil world and be just & right to do so!

Oh, that we might adequately fear Him! Look around and gaze at the marvelous grace He extends to us each and every day simply by allowing us not to perish. We are unworthy.

People often ask, “What is Hutchmoot?”

It’s an understandable question if you’ve never heard the term. It is ironic, however, that many who attend are literary and enlightened and find it is just as much of an enigma.

Prior to leaving for Hutchmoot, friends would ask me:

“Where are you going?”

“What do you do there?”

For lack of better words – and for lack of experience – I chose to say, “It’s a creative conference for Christians.”

Their eyes would glaze over as they pondered those words.

“So, is this like a Christian hippie thing?”

“Are you packing incense?”

The practical answer of Hutchmoot is this: It is a small group of ragamuffin Christians who get together once a year to learn from and listen to their favorite musicians, authors, and artists.

There are concerts and performances;
discussion groups and sessions;
meals and merchandise.
There is incense, but it is in the form of pipe smoke and prayers.

That is the practical answer. Yet there is one more simple, and it is this: Hutchmoot is the church as it should be.

It is a gathering of all denominations and all occupations:

artists,
architects,
business people,
musicians,
teachers,
actors,
clergy,
lay people.

They freely and bravely share their brokenness and their gifts and talk about the One who has healed them and gifted them. They have been forever changed by Beauty, Grace and Truth. Their desire is not to scratch the surface of this temporary dwelling with meaningless chit-chat but to mine it deeply for the reflections and familiarities of the Home that is truly theirs. They strive to glorify God in everything they do – their craft, their behavior, their conversations, their laughter – and they strive to do those things with the beauty and excellence modeled by the Creator.

This is the Church as it should be – not programs, performances, or platitudes.

This is the Bride of Christ – broken, brave, and beautiful.

This is Hutchmoot.

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals, and to prayer…And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had…all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.  And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”
(Acts 1:42, 44, 47)

Today, let’s purposely remember and celebrate what an awesome God we serve.

He is wonderful and personal.
He is better to us than we deserve.
He loves us when we are unlovely.
He clings to us when we doubt.
He holds us when we cry.

He is gentle. And compassionate.
His degree of discipline perfectly proportioned and flawlessly executed.
He loves us well.

His ways are:

…just
…fair
…beautiful
…mysterious
…glorious.

What an awesome God is He!