God isn’t a vending machine. It seems a rather simple idea, but it divides our understanding of the nature of God like nothing else. We are taught at a very young age that Jesus said, “Ask whatever you want, and you will receive it.” Anyone who has lived knows that this isn’t true all the time. Sure, there have been lots of things I have prayed about that have happened, but 10 times as many prayers have gone unanswered. I don’t think that this is about God; it is more about how the earliest believers thought and wrote. Did Jesus actually say this? We will never know. The evolution of the Bible is one of the most complicated and frustrating things about being a follower, and the fact that most Christians don’t understand this, much less read it, makes explaining it even more difficult.
God isn’t Christian; God isn’t any religion, for that matter. And while I firmly believe that Jesus is God-made flesh, I don’t believe that this idea invalidates all other concepts of God. I don’t believe that just saying the words – Jesus is Lord – makes us Christian either. It is a start, but not a final product. I can have a cup of flour, but it doesn’t mean it is bread. Faith grows over time – nobody is fully formed at birth. Our baptism is our entrance into God’s family – our faith formation is shaped by education and being loved by others – our acceptance of God as being real doesn’t mean we know what or who God truly is. And whether we call God Allah or Jehovah or Jesus, none of us knows God completely. Paul made that clear in 1 Corinthians 13.
God isn’t just about believing; God is also about doing. “Faith without works is dead” is the way the Book of James put it. To say we believe but not work at living that way cheapens God. Bonhoeffer called it “cheap grace” – the idea that we can live it on the surface without sharing it through our lives. Jesus challenged those who looked perfect on the outside but were poison on the inside; He even told His followers that it isn’t what goes in us that defiles, it’s what comes out. Jesus understood that it is easy to stand up and say you are a disciple; the challenge is to live like it the best we can.
God isn’t a bully. That doesn’t mean that God’s words aren’t filled with troubling events; it means that among those troubling events are words of grace and peace. I fully believe that the terrifying words of abuse attributed to God are human failings. I also believe that the words that shine beauty on us are God’s fully formed meaning coming through flawed human interpreters. God isn’t mean, but many of God’s followers are. God isn’t a brutalizer, but too many of God’s people have no problem with this imagery. God stands against the bullies and the abusers; God stands with the oppressed and lonely.
This is a chance for us to reevaluate what we think about God. More to come this week.
Prayer – Holy God, forgive us for continually forming You in our image. Helps us reshape ourselves into Yours. Amen.
Today’s art is “Be Life” by Elena Ray.