Look, listen all around.
God is trying to tell us something.
There is yet more light and truth to break forth from God's Holy Word.

If you think God's not finished with you yet, guess what? God's not even finished with God yet. God isn't finished with you, or finished with the church or our world, or even letting us know more about God's own compassion, justice, hope, and truth. If you are open, if you listen carefully, you'll discover what God is saying to this generation at this time in history. There's more good news to be heard!

This understanding of God's "revelation" is a central aspect of United Church of Christ faith. We believe that God was revealed in the past, but also in the present and the future. In the Bible, God was known through covenants with people and nations, through prophets and teachers, through conflicts and commandments, in visions and songs, and through the followers of Jesus and the church. God acted profoundly in the life and ministry, even in the death, of Christ. On Easter, God declared in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, "I'll never, never stop speaking. Alleluia!" Throughout history, in moments of compassion, justice, and peace, in our worship, sacraments, prayer, seeking, action, and silence, God continues to speak.

In the UCC, our Constitution reminds us that we are called "in each generation to make this faith our own." A recent UCC slogan conveys the call in another way: "Our faith is over 2000 years old. Our thinking is not." Now, we join with those who came before us in discerning God's voice for our own time.

You are encouraged to discover God speaking through the Bible. We believe we are called to be attentive to God's Word. The Word we discover there, however, is not frozen in time. "Indeed, the word of God is living and active" (Hebrews 4:12). If you explore the Bible and move from book to book, you may discover that God is revealed in different ways, sometimes even seemingly contradictory ways. At distinct moments in biblical history, God speaks in new ways about God's unchanging intent of love, justice, deliverance, community, reconciliation, and peace. God continues to shed more light and truth in our world. In a similar way, we are not limited by past understandings of scripture, but we seek new insights and help for living the faith today. God is not finished with us yet.

In 1975, the Reverend Oliver Powell stated, "Clearly the stance of the United Church is toward the world. All its doors and windows are open onto it. The church believes that God loves the world as much as [God] loves the church. . . ." (Living Theological Heritage, Vol 7, 301-305). Because our doors and windows are open, we listen for God in a variety of places out in the world: in the arts, in political struggles, in the sciences, in media, in education, and especially in voices of those who are often ignored.For example, we are not a people who simply dismiss reason and science as an enemy of faith. We affirm that God, indeed, may work through the sciences. We have joined with other denominations who present evolution in a way that is not in opposition to faith, but rather considers science as another way of appreciating the beauty and complexity of God's creation.

We also cherish the arts. In 1977, at our 11th General Synod, we expressed how God speaks through the arts as prophetic and effective channels of God's judgment and grace. We said, "When we are drawn into a work of art, we experience its transforming power; the arts open us to new ways of understanding both personal and public life and give us insight and energy to act in love and justice for the sake of the Holy." (Living Theological Heritage, Vol. 7, 274-277)

Today, God is especially speaking through a beautiful diversity of voices. God continues to form us through new people among us, offering a multicultural mosaic that reflects all of creation. We also hear God's voice in public policy that advocates for those who are poor, hungry, or most vulnerable in our society. Consider, for example, how God is known through work in behalf of children in the areas of public education, health, and policy.

We celebrate our common ground, while honoring our differences: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, diversity; in all things, charity." In covenant with one another, we prayerfully seek together as the church, the Body of Christ, to discern God's voice in the midst of so many voices. We are aware, at the same time, that God's voice may come in a lone voice, crying out in a world that does not listen.

Even without words at all, often as we wait in silence, we know God still comes.

One cannot worship at Amistad Chapel at the UCC's Church House in Cleveland, Ohio, without seeing the world pass by the extensive windows alongside Prospect Avenue.

Likewise, if you're walking along Prospect Avenue, it's hard to miss anything that's going on in Amistad Chapel.

What matters to you?

What sound or voice brings you great joy?

What sound or voice do you long to hear?

What are sounds or voices of God?

What are the sounds of God's realm breaking through?