Secrecy

The third week of our ‘Find me in the Wilderness’ series unpacks the principle of secrecy. What is the secret place? What does it mean to have a faith rooted in secrecy and intimacy with God?

Verses covered.

Matthew 6: 1-6.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’’

‘’And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’’

Main ideas.

The image has invaded. We live in a society with a large slice of superficiality. Images, and the maintenance of images, dictate to us our relationships, our interactions, even our wants and desires. Whether the news, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, we see our experiences filtered, or mediated, through seemingly neutral platforms. In actual fact, these platforms shape our behaviours, hold us to unreachable norms, and encourage us to obscure the realities of our day-to-day lives. Whether on a walk or on the toilet the need to seek approval, affirmation, justification, worth and belonging has never been more ferocious.

This is even true within the church. The idea that if we speak right, dress right, act right; if we’ve shared the famous American preachers, if we’ve read the latest books, if we’re kitted out in the latest Christian fashion then we will be saved. Plainly, we live on the basis that if we can construct an image worthy of the cross then God will ultimately come to approve of us – this is ‘salvation by superficiality’.

So what’s the solution? When reading about Pastor Wang Mind Dao, who was imprisoned for over 20 years by the Chinese Communist Party during the 20th Century, I came across the idea of the ‘spiritual prison cell’. This is the place where you and you alone are held captive by God’s love. Where you can close the door; where you can be authentically real, both with yourself and with God; where you can simplify your life and know God. If Wang’s advice is correct then, in engaging in the gradual process of contemplation, transfiguration and renewal, our initially barren, depraved and boring ‘prison cells’ will grow into gardens which will then overspill out into the world.

The secret place is about encounters, and conversations, with a God who isn’t always interested in doing, but simply being. It is the spiritual foundation for a life of anti-superficiality, the bookend to spontaneous and unconscious serving and giving: be it doing the dishwasher behind your parents back; offering teas and coffees; remembering people’s birthdays; or posting anonymous notes through doors. Choose to walk in reality this season, leading with honesty and transparency – whether in the hospital or in your own front room!

For more on this Practice, here is some great reading on the subject

Celebration of Discipline – Richard Foster.

The Cost of Discipleship – Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

100 Days in the Secret Place – Gene Edwards.

Faith Endures – Ron Boyd-MacMillan.