This coming Sunday, at Family Worship, I will deliver a BRIEF message with the simple title GOD. The brevity of the message is certainly not proportionate to the importance of the subject. I also like to think that week in and week out, we explore the breadth and depth of this topic. Nonetheless, in this BLOG entry, I wish to pose some questions for you to consider, questions that really get at the heart of your own THEOLOGY i.e. your thinking and talking...about GOD!
For now, I only have a few questions:
* When you think about God, what's the picture you have in your mind?
* In a related question: When you think about God, do you envision God as PERSON ?
* Where does Jesus fit in to your visualization/conceptualization of God?
I look forward to your responses...
PB
3 comments:
I think Jesus gives me the best "picture" of GOD. It is in both the person and the spirit of Jesus that I can best see the loving nature of GOD. In the healing of all of the broken "unclean" people: the Leper, the menstruating woman, the Demoniac, as well as in the healing of those who have gone astray, the tax collector, the woman at the well with many husbands, the prodigal son, the criminal on the cross, Peter in his betrayal. It is the same GOD as we see interwieving in the Hebrew Bible as well but I think the picture of Jesus simplifies it, and really shows is what the essence of GOD is- Love pure love and mercy too. If we can only grasp that this love and healing is available for us as well.
One other thing. It is notable that in none of these stories is the person asked to "repent" or change their ways. These people are met by Jesus and loved by Jesus where they are and as they are. In many cases we do not even know if there is a change in behavior but we do often times see a change in heart- to one being more at peace. Of course it often requires a repenitant heart for one to even see the availablility of this love or even the need for this love... but the love is always there.
To extrapolate the theme further we can see how this love is available to other marginalized people in our society- without judgement- the alcoholic, the perfectionist, the homosexual, the kid who has struggled with learning disablilities, the social outcast... those paralyzed by fear, guilt, feelings of inadequacy... the list goes on and on...
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