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So
God created man in his own image1
Intro:
a face-to-face encounter
How
do you see God? When
do you see God? Do
you see God? Can
we honestly see the face of God?
I think we can, and all we need do is look at
each other. In
a post-Christian, post-church, post-religion, postmodern
culture how do you tell people that we can see the face
of God and that God is worth our praise?
If we take the modern view of God we find a
distant, genie-god, who is at our beck-and-call to fill
our dreams and desires only as we see fit.
But when we see the postmodern face of God is
others we see a God who is personal, real and with us
always; we see Jesus as “God interactive.”
On
the e-group "postmodern theology" we had a
thread dealing with just this question, “how we see
God in different places, events and people?”
Traditional evangelical Christianity has limited
God to existing in the pages of scripture - “if it is
from God it can only be found in scripture” - is the
mantra of the modern evangelical.
They have limited God to the confines of a book,
and then only as they see Him.
To experience God, or see the face of God, in
“other places” is viewed with a hard heart.
It is seen as “sacrilegious” and demeaning to
God to ever think we could see the living God in the
faces of others. While
in a postmodern setting, we see God in all things;
everything speaks to a postmodern generation of God
- now, before you get your shorts in a uproar
(mixed metaphor - i love it) i am not talking about a
Gnostic view of "god in everything" or a
“pantheistic” view that everything is God - what i
am saying is this - when i look into the face of a
stranger, i see Christ. If not, if by looking into the face of a stranger I see only
the face of a stranger I miss a great chance to connect
with a human on a level vastly different then before.
As a follower of Christ, I desire to see the
Christ in all people.
Unbinding
God:
Keeping
God in a book is comfortable for most moderns.
You see, if God can only be found in a book, then
I don’t have to do anything; no accountability for the
works we are not doing.
But, when God is seen in the face of others, I am
required to move, to action, to active ministry.
I am moved from talking about feeding then
hungry, to actually feeding the hungry.
When I see God in the face of others I become a
“date book Christian,” and not a “checkbook
Christian.” My
words count, my motives count and my heart counts;
saying we need to act, motivates me to acting and bring
others with me. All that I am requires that I move past the pew and into the
world around me. Without
that movement, I am no better then anyone else who
complains about what needs to be done, but does nothing.
This was sent home to me this week in an email I
received from a new friend.
God
in an email:
As
a Pastor I have taught that God is real and interactive
with our lives, but it is always great to see God slap
me in the face with that interactivity.
Coming to see God in the words of an email
started out simple enough.
I read an ad, responded to it and got back what i
thought was a short, curt and demeaning email - so i
emailed back and shared my disappointment with the
response of the email.
Then, after just a few hours an answer came back
– and it was not what I expected.
It explained what was meant and how sorry the
sender was for how it was perceived – but it was not
meant to insult in anyway, shape or form.
His words were kind, gentle and humble.
That day, i saw the face of God in an email.
Most would have discounted the response, but I
could not. There was something in the email that spoke to me, and taught
me a valuable lesson – God can use anything to speak
to our hearts, if we listen.
About
a month ago I was driving down US95 when a song came on
the radio, I listen to “The Edge, Christian Radio.”
It was a song that caused me to pull aside, and
just listen. It
is called “under bridges.”
Under bridges is one of the most powerful
Christian songs i have ever heard. It moves me at levels unspeakable, unknowable and yet clear
and decisive.
Yesterday
while walking
Beneath
an overpass
I
saw the figure of Jesus
Standing
bare-foot on broken glass.
His
beard was graying
The
smell of urine filled the air.
Asking
if i had some change
Anything
that i could spear
Emaciated
His
shaking fist balled-up
Influenza
and pneumonia
Begging
God to take his cup.
So
different from his picture
Breathing
air through a yellowed tub
Jesus
christ dying of AIDS
Can
look right through you.2
The
words in the email made me reflect on this song and how
God can be seen in others, and in the strangest places.
It was a powerful experience one I will keep
forever. And
one that makes me want to get out of the fortress and
into the streets. You
see Jesus was not a "home-body." he was active
(God Interactive) and out with the people - we need to
be the same. When
we see homeless, we need to see Christ when we see
people dying and in pain - of anything - we need to see
Christ. We,
as followers, need to follow.
What
is all means?
Oh,
sure, the fact that Jesus walked the earth some 2,000
years ago and there are not a ton of role models out
there who have truly followed the teachings, maybe a
little email can open our hearts to seeing the power of
God in all - maybe that's our call.
When we say we want to be a "first
century" church - what are we saying?
Are we saying we want to be structured as a first
century church? Do
we want to be a "home church" like first
century church? Are
we willing to die for the faith like first century
church? Is
it all just talk, or are we truly willing to step up and
be a first century church, feeding the hungry, and
sheltering the homeless, caring for the orphans and the
widows; and allowing a simple thing like email change
our lives?
Now,
it may seem kind of strange that one simple email could
stir-up such questions - but it's true.
I have been praying over the possibilities for
the past weeks thinking how just a few words could move
me so very much. Then i remembered, in the email i saw the face of God and the
Holy Spirit moved within me.
Pastor
john
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