"He is the Lord. He reigns on high. He is the Lord.
He spoke into the darkness. Created the light. He is the Lord.
Who is like unto Him never ending in days? He is the Lord.
And He comes in power when we call on His name. He is the Lord. "
So, the question is, "How do I make the call of God relevant to the 40 year old gay party boy who has nothing to show for his life except how much alcohol he has consumed and how many guys he has fucked, and is completely comfortable with his destiny to grow old, fade to black and enter the void?"
Before I answer the question, for the record, I don't like the answer. I want a better one. I want a more effective one. I want one that works every time, like 8+5 always equals 13. I want God to stop hiding behind the clouds, stand up and be God. I want Him to move in power, and show the whole world who He really is and what He can do, in an undeniable, irrefutable way. Bring on the fire from heaven, the miracles, turn on the light and drive out the darkness. He is not God for nothing.
He's done it before. Ever read the story of Saul who became Paul and wrote 2/3 of the New Testament? Remember Elisha's servant whose eyes were opened and he was able to see that there were more with them than there were against them? What about Danial's time in the furnace or the lion's den?
But alas, God is not a circus elephant. He's not going to spend eternity proving to barflies that He exists. Besides, the circus elephant stuff didn't work with the people of Israel in the old testament.
And so I defer to His wisdom.
His wisdom is that He gives us the Christmas star. He holds out before us the possibility of something better than the void. Like the wise men, we can walk toward it day by day. In the manger, He shows us that He is not here to pick a fight with us. He comes in peace. He shows us there is hope.
His wisdom is that He gives us His life. He shows us the Father, His math, His worldview. His love. He shows us that each of us has value beyond description, whether we see ourselves that way or not. In the beatitudes, he compares our thinking to His, and His is better. In the garden, He calls us friends not slaves, and teaches us that in Him we have life, peace and intimacy with God, and a destiny that is good.
His wisdom is that He gives us His death on the cross, on which is nailed every wrong thing in history from the beginning of the world until right now - as well as all of the excuses we hide behind for our own choices and bad decisions. Life is about what is right and good and pure. That which is wrong and evil and dirty is nailed to a tree.
His wisdom is that He gives us a resurrection. A new life with new terms. He gives us Baptism and the Eucharist to remind us of what we now stand for, and who we are in Him.
His wisdom is that He gives us a Helper to show us what is good and teach us all wisdom. He gives us an advocate with the Father who knows our weaknesses. He gives us His word, His name, His faithfulness, and a zillion other things that I should list but this post is too long already.
Somehow, this has to be good enough. God has made His case for mankind through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ. And He has presented us with a simple choice. For those who choose to believe it, he gives the power to be His children. For the rest, there's the void.
I know from experience, it's a hard thing to give your all for a long time, only to be told that you're not good enough. It's even harder when that which is good enough turns out to be so much less than what you are. I guess, in His infinite wisdom, God is comfortable with this situation. I guess I agree with Him.
But a good old fashioned fireball from heaven would still be fun now and then.