Static!
Part III

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UNC meets weekly at the Atlanta Bread Company in Cumming GA. Each Friday, the morning’s opening talk is posted to the blog. Don’t forget, you can easily subscribe to our RSS feed.

Also, you can subscribe to our Podcast in iTunes. Start iTunes, enter the iTunes Store, and search for “UNC Friday Morning”.

The Scriptures tell us God desires that He be plainly known.  Even still, we often strain to hear His voice. 

The glory of His creation engulfs us and the Truth of His Word surrounds us and yet…  and yet… His voice can still fade faint and obscure. 

Such was the signature of Jesus’ day as well, that time when God walked in flesh among men.  In that day, people trained their ears to the voices of men who spoke for God.  But the men did not speak clearly.

They broadcast Static and drowned the sounds of the Savior’s approach.  

So God pulled up close.

Real close.

Within earshot kind of close.

One day, Jesus’ friends overheard Him talking with the One they called God.  They noticed Jesus spoke not just as God and for God, but He also spoke to God.  In a clear sort of way.

“Lord, teach us to pray…” the disciples asked.  They wanted to talk to God like…  that!

So, Jesus took His friends to Lesson #1:  “When praying, you need to know to Whom you are speaking and your proper before Him…”

The idea made sense to men for whom God was barely approachable.  These were they who occupied the margins of the community who “knew” God.  What did not make sense was the protocol Jesus instructed the men to use.  

Jesus slid His friends a salutation that calibrated their conversation to an unexpected place. 

“Father…”  Jesus began.

Absorb this image for a moment.

Jesus tells us we are to talk to God as a child would his Daddy. 

The approach is intimate.  Access is immediate.

Maybe your earthly father hasn’t left you with much to work with here.  Maybe he was distant and obscure, or worse.

The picture Jesus leaves us is clear.

Jesus invites us to approach our Heavenly Father with familiarity.  He tells us to begin with the premise that God is near and that we are unconditionally accepted.  Most importantly, Jesus tells us God desires that we be relationally connected to Him. 

Your Heavenly Father wants to hear from you.  Directly.  Routinely.  Personally.

Unobstructed by the Static of men.

Static!
Part II

Click the ‘play’ button below to listen.
(If you cannot see the audio controls below, click the title of this post to refresh. Flash Player is required, click here to download.)

UNC meets weekly at the Atlanta Bread Company in Cumming GA. Each Friday, the morning’s opening talk is posted to the blog. Don’t forget, you can easily subscribe to our RSS feed.

Also, you can subscribe to our Podcast in iTunes. Start iTunes, enter the iTunes Store, and search for “UNC Friday Morning”.