One of the goals of my spiritual practice is connecting with Divine Mystery. These three words are beautiful and inspiring, but they’re not necessarily clear.

Connecting is the only pragmatic word. We understand what it means to connect with something or someone. Connection implies drawing close, coming together, joining with, and deepening our understanding. Connection is about relationship and interdependence.

But the words divine and mystery are anything but pragmatic. They’re stand-ins. We use them to help us understand parts of our reality that aren’t really understandable. The word divine is defined as being of, from, or like God or a god. In other words, to understand the definition of divine, you have to understand the word god. And as we’ve already covered in these sermons, that’s complicated!

Mystery is defined as a secret, hidden, or inexplicable matter. In other words, we can’t know, see, find, or explain what mystery is… As I’ve said before, searching after Mystery can be like trying to grasp smoke.

If you’re looking for certainty and hard answers, these definitions are enough to drive you away from the practice of spiritual seeking…

But if you’re willing to take a risk and push past dictionary definitions, you can experiment with these words. You can examine them, not through the mind of thought, but through the mind of the heart. You can look at them, not through the eyes of external vision, but through the eyes of the spirit. In your seeking, you can find an experiential understanding—based not on testimony or inference—but direct perception. Based on the wisdom of your own inner voice.

So here’s my invitation: Allow your heart to be open.

Divine Mystery may be defined as some unknowable otherworldly reality, but in my experience, this just isn’t true. I believe that God—the word I most often use for Divine Mystery—exists beyond our definitions. But not beyond our experiences. The mystery of God exists within the world in which we live. Why else would our hearts be filled with so much longing for Divine union?

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is within us. And the Isha Upanishad opens with the stunning line: “In the heart of all things, of whatever there is in the universe, dwells the Lord.” Another translation reads: “All this is for habitation by the Lord.”

In other words, Divine Mystery is everywhere, in everything and everyone. So allow your heart to be open. Spend time everyday in silence and listen inward. Through meditation allow yourself to quiet down under the noise of the world and seek the voice within. Listen for that of God within you.

And then go out into the world and pay attention. The Yoga Sutra-s tell us that the world is made up of energy, elements, and senses. And that it provides us with experience and liberation. So pay attention to the faces you see… Pay attention to the beauty… To the suffering… To the joy…

Search for Divine Mystery in the known of your life.

Allow your heart to be open. Let go of your old perceptions. What can you smell, taste, see, touch, and hear of Divine Mystery?

Divine Earth,
We are born of your sustaining soil,
the smell of minerals rich in our bones.
Allow us to rest on the ground of your being
and accept the support of stillness.
Because without you, there is no life.

Divine Water,
We are immersed in your currents
the taste of salt rich on our tongues.
Allow us to receive your cleansing
and flow toward our source.
Because without you, there is no life.

Divine Fire,
We are awed by your power,
the sight of all consuming light thick in our vision.
Allow us to burn away all that is stagnant
and activate our passionate will.
Because without you, there is no life.

Divine Air,
We are renewed under your sky,
the touch of wind knocking open our relational hearts.
Allow us to breathe in your formless gift
and take flight.
Because without you, there is no life.

Divine Space,
We are empty before you,
the sound of the eternal calling to us.
Allow us to accept the grace of love
and feel your all encompassing spirit.
Because without you, there is no life.