Big Feelings - The Rev. Philip DeVaul

Sermons from the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer

People come at us, and we're not really sure where they're coming from. And sometimes our first instinct is to take whatever energies come up that are thrown our way and throw it right back. Someone wants to come at you with some kind of anger or argument., you're going to knock them down. This is the way of our world friends. This is the way we think. Whenever you come with me at my way, I'm going to throw right back at you. You know who I'm going to treat, right? The people who treat me right. And I define how I'm treated as right. And I'm not at all. If you come at me one way, I'm going to come right back at you and give it twice as hard. This is the way of the world, but also argue that this way of dealing with something coming our way that we don't quite understand what that energy is. I want to suggest that this is actually a way that we experience our relationship with God, because friends, we do not quite understand God and what God's doing and how God's doing it. God is mysterious and confusing and uncertain to us in so many ways. And so when we interact with God, we come into that conversation, into that situation, not really knowing what we're dealing with, right? Is this God that's coming my way? Is this God coming my way with anger and wrath? Is this God coming my way in some sort of furious puff of emotion? Is this God coming at me, judging me and here to tell me all the things that are wrong with me?