Mystical Flavours

1. Mystical Flavours ...a variety of encounters but the same Spirit

2. If I take the wings of the morning   and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me,   and your right hand shall hold me fast. (Ps. 139.9-10) • “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Jesus in Mt. 28.20) • I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

3. 1 Kings 19.11-13 •  He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;

4. and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’

5. Matt. 2.13 • Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said....

6. Matt. 6. 5-7 •  ‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. •  ‘When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.

7. Isaiah 30.20-21 • ....your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’

8. Jer. 6.16 • Thus says the Lord:Stand at the crossroads, and look,   and ask for the ancient paths,where the good way lies; and walk in it,   and find rest for your souls.

9. Jer. 31.33-34 • But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord

10. Jer. 23. 25-26 • I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back—those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart?

11. Acts 10.44 •  While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. • ...this coming after: “Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision.”

12. Acts 15 • For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us... • (after debating and storytelling)

13. 1 John 2. 26-27 •  I write these things to you concerning those who would deceive you. As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.

14. 1 John 4. 7-8, 18 •  Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. • There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love

15. Definition of mysticism • an intuition of truth (that one may or may not be able to put into words) that is emotionally tinged - especially emotions that make us feel like we’ve experienced God/meaning/life like… • awe/wonder, • love/connection/unity, • peace, • joy, • trust/OKness, • “Aha!” or “Ahh!”

16. Thesis • All mystical moments are a mixture of human and spiritual (divine) experience (i.e. There is some God and some “self” in every mystical encounter). • The “God-part” opens it up (bigger than us, new, “connected,” wonder) • The “self” part adds the interpretive and emotional part (in response to the God-part) • There is no useful understanding of the boundary between these parts

17. Types of Mystics • 1. Charismatics • Tend to interpret mystical moments as “God first” • 2. Contemplatives • Tend to interpret as mixed human/divine (“disciplined devotion”) • 3. Humanists/Naturalists • Tend to interpret as “human/natural first”

18. If I take the wings of the morning   and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me,   and your right hand shall hold me fast. (Ps. 139.9-10) • “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Jesus in Mt. 28.20) • I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

19. You are not alone; we are not alone • The presence of God is with us always