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Is there a divine spark in everyone?

God seeks intimate connection with us

The Rev. David Livingston, associate pastor, First United Methodist Church, 946 Vt.:

In recent times, an idea with ancient origins has resurfaced.

The idea is that God literally lives inside us. According to some people, God, or the divine, lives inside of all people, animals, plants and even inanimate objects. Others have a more limited view that God lives in certain creatures, or even just certain people.

On the surface, that sounds like a great idea. It would be wonderful to have God literally inside us, so that all we need to do to find God is search within us.

But I want God to be a lot bigger than just a part of me or other people. I want God to be both close to me and big enough to deal with problems I can't deal with. I want God to be able to give me insight that I can't give myself. I don't want God to be limited to just being within us.

As a Christian, I believe God is more than that. There is not a "divine spark" in us -- if by divine spark we mean God literally lives within us. God is bigger than we can imagine. The universe cannot contain God. At the same time, God seeks to have an intimate connection with each of us. We can pray, and God can hear us. When we worship with others, we can feel a connection with God.

This is the kind of God who can help us move beyond ourselves to help others in need. This kind of God can solve our greatest needs and let us see beyond this life to a future life. This is the kind of God who can create the universe but can also come into the universe as Jesus, to be with us and know firsthand what being human really means.

Send e-mail to the Rev. David Livingston david@fumclawrence.org.

Experience nurtures belief in inner light

Douglas Crawford-Parker, member, Oread Friends Meeting (Quaker), 1146 Ore.:

Quakers believe there is something of God in everyone, what early Quakers called "that of God."

The term "inner light" also conveys for Quakers that we all have within us a light that, as John Woolman wrote, "proceeds from God." Each of us may be more or less aware of this light, and we may work to let it shine or try to deny it altogether. Either way, it is there, waiting for us to attend to it, waiting for us to open ourselves to the Divine.

For Quakers, direct experience nurtures our belief in the inner light. Each one of us has the capacity to listen to the still, small voice within. Such listening happens best for Quakers in times of silence and expectant waiting, particularly during our meeting for worship. Since every one of us can connect to God, we each listen for leadings from the spirit and minister to one another, sharing as we are prompted.

From personal experience of God through the inner light, the recognition of "that of God" in every person leads Quakers to outward expression. For example, Quakers have opposed war and violence, of any kind, for more than 350 years because of our experience of God in everyone.

This commitment to acknowledge "that of God" in everyone leads us to work on behalf of those who are poor, homeless and disabled and to work against the death penalty. We are led to do justice in all ways possible to our neighbor. To know that God is in each of us means that all are our neighbors, and we are challenged to do our utmost to love them and to act upon that love.

To love them is to love God.

Send e-mail to Douglas Crawford-Parker at dcrawpar@ku.edu.