Knowing Christ & Pen pals

Last Sunday I preached from Philippians 3:10, "I want to know Christ . . ." The power of this verse is in what it affirms- we can know the person of Christ and we do not have to settle for knowledge about Christ. Therein lies the basis for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This also defeats the idea that Christianity is just a bunch of religious activity. I love this verse. But it is also difficult.

When I preach I try to imagine the objections. You know, the "yeah, but what about . . ." kind of comments. And I try to deal with them. There is a huge objection or roadblock with this verse and the grand idea behind it. We usually think of personal relationships in terms of our face-to-face encounters. Relationships are built through time together in which we talk to each other. So . . . a relationship with God should equal face time and talking, right? Except that Jesus no longer walks on earth, and neither his Father nor the Spirit have visible bodies. Next, few people have heard the audible voice of God pulsing through their eardrums. And lots of people claim to have heard God's "voice," and many of them are crazy. So "hearing" from God is difficult. So how can I have a relationship with an invisible who tends not to speak very often? My fear is that most people give up before trying.

I tried to address this very quickly in my message, but I am not sure I really "nailed it." So let me try it this way. Somewhere I read a story about a young woman who began writing letters to a sailor, maybe through a military pen pal program. He wrote back, and the two of them exchanged lots of letters. The sailor became enamored with this woman who wrote so beautifully, and when his tour was finally over they arranged a meet-up. But how would they recognize each other? She told him that she would meet him at the dock and she would be wearing a red silk scarf. On the long-awaited day, the sailor disembarked and began looking for his friend. He saw a woman with red silk scarf, but she did not look anything like he imagined. She was rather unattractive. Nevertheless he approached the woman and introduced himself. She replied, "I don't know who you are, but the young woman standing over there by the lamp asked me to stand here wearing her scarf, and if a sailor approached I should direct him to her." She gave him the scarf and he walked to the woman near the lamp, who was as beautiful as he had imagined. Yes, it had been a test and he had passed. They spent time together, married, and lived happily ever after.

Now the story has many levels of meaning, but here is how it applies to knowing Christ. Here is merely one example of thousands of long-distance relationships that develop with no face time and without ever hearing the person's voice. But they are relationships indeed. And the depth of the relationship developed by mere letters increases the anticipation and joy of the eventual meet-up.

Can we do this with God? I can take a journal and write a letter to God. Then I can open my Bible and find hundreds of pages of his "letters" to me- ready for me to read and enjoy as he reveals himself and his thoughts, his likes and dislikes. Then I can write back. And back and forth we go, a kind of pen pal relationship with the God of the universe. In fact, for those saints whom we admire because they seem to really know God and enjoy him, I believe this is how it happened for them. Which helps me understand why they are so excited for heaven, the ultimate meet-up.