SEARCHING FOR REAL PRESENCE
George Mallone
July 1, 1991
I have led plenty of church services in which people came, yawned their way through the hour, and scooted out the door to more exciting activities. I believe I know why. Earlier in my pastoral ministry, I majored on the transcendence of God, emphasizing his holy otherness. I described the sacraments as "mere symbol" and believed that only at the eschaton would the kingdom of God dawn. Nevertheless, I began to sense I was catering only half a meal to my congregation. I realized that people in our culture, me included, were yearning for God's immanence: his real, manifested, experienced presence. Theologically, I knew that he is present everywhere at all times, but I also knew that we didn't sense his presence as much as we would like. I had to admit that I had been talking like a theist but acting like a deist: praying but not expecting God to truly come. Being a functioning deist takes a lot of pressure off-once you learn to preach a sermon, once you learn to run a service, pastoring is no big deal. I didn't have to worry about what God would do. I had things well under control. However, I had neither the ministry nor the satisfying relationship with God that I wanted. Consequently I now have a different priority for a church gathering-not that attenders applaud my sermon or savor the music, not that members tithe or build relationships, as important as these things are, but that we meet God. The sine qua non for me has become: Does God manifest his presence? Can anything be done to facilitate such presence? Certainly, we cannot manipulate God with formulas. But our immanent God, who wants us to know him, hear his voice, and feel his compassion, has made himself accessible. In our church we intentionally seek to access God's real ...
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