The United Church of Christ in the USA has the interesting (and for some people controversial) motto, 'God is still speaking.' Some people take umbrage with this statement feeling that God has spoken in the Bible, full stop.Ron Buford, of the national office of the UCC , was wondering, “How could we state simply the gist of who we are, our uniqueness on the religious scene?” One night it came to Ron, the phrase, “God is still speaking,” capturing the idea that our faith is dynamic, growing, open to new truths, not settled on one orthodoxy.
Ron soon uncovered an old quote from Gracie Allen, the comedian married to George Burns. As she was dying, she wrote her husband a letter in which she said, “George, never place a period where God has placed a comma.” In other words, it’s not over. My death will not be the end of things, not for you, not for me, not for us. It’s only a comma, not a period. The perfect text for a church that believes that 'God is still speaking.'
It is a good thing to reflect on what it means to be a people of the comma!
Geoff Pound
Source: Rich Smith, ‘Good News From the Still Speaking God.’
<http://www.westmorelanducc.org/sermons/2004-7-12/12-19-04.html>
Image: Comma