Aug. 17, 2008 (Allan McGee)

Allan spoke on "Being shocked by Christ." When we catch even a glimpse of the fullness and completeness of God and/or Christ's Kingdom, we are (should be) truly shocked. The story in Acts 2 tells of people repenting and believing in ways that were so profound that they and others were shocked, even receiving the Holy Spirit (an experience previously reserved for prophets). This experience is not something that is merely 'nice' like the weather, but instead shocks and transforms us. To help us understand this better, Jesus told a story about a man who unexpectedly discovered buried treasure in a field and risked everything to obtain it. That experience changed his life and way of living forever, as did the finding and obtaining the 'pearl of great value' for the unnamed merchant. These life-changing experiences contrast with some modern ways of thinking about religion which suggest that we only need to act responsibly in society, believe correctly, and we are considered active members of the Kingdom. Allan concluded by advocating that we submit to the hard work and discipline of meditation and devotions several times daily, until we too are shocked/astonished repeatedly by experiencing the fullness of God's Kingdom in our lives. [JEK] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday August 17th, 2008 using your browser's preferred media player.