Our God is an awesome God.
Trinity/Pride Launch
What we think, and how we live, influence our perception of God and God’s will. This was the case for the Apostle Paul. We hear this in Paul’s Second Letter to the Christians in Corinth (Corinthians 13:11-13.) Paul bid them farewell, using the three names for God to bless them.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” (2 Corinthians 13:13)
Paul cared so deeply about those gentile converts that he invoked every member of the Godhead (the Trinity) in this benediction. Paul called on Jesus, God, and the Spirit to watch over them. He invited God to bath them with love, asked Jesus to guard their faith, and implored the Spirit to surround their community. Paul wanted the people he brought into the faith cared for in his absence. Paul referred to these Gentile believers as “sisters and brothers.” Paul had stayed in their homes and eaten the food they prepared. Paul’s experience living with, and among them, moved him to treat Gentiles in the same manner as he did Jews who shared his race and faith. Years before, Jesus had confronted Paul. Jesus told Paul that his persecution of believers inflicted pain on God. After that, Paul resolved to consider everyone (Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female) as children of God. In this farewell, Paul exhorted his sisters and brothers:
“Be restored; hear and heed my appeal; agree with one another, and live in peace.” (2 Corinthians 13:11)
Paul explained this exhortation saying, people
“…who live in unity and pursue peace are able to see and know that God, the God of love and peace, is with them.” (2 Corinthians 13:11)
Paul’s perceptions shaped his understanding of God. Paul thought of God as a loving parent, Savior, and ever present spirit. Paul’s actions shaped his understanding of God’s will. This is why he demanded believers work continuously to develop and restore their faith, search for and follow God’s will, and live at peace with themselves and in harmony with their neighbors.
What Paul thought and how he lived influenced his perceptions of God’s person and will. The same is the case for you and me. When we work for peace and justice, and show respect for the dignity of every human being, we are more likely to assume God wants peace, justice, and dignity for everyone. When our focus drifts towards judging others, prioritizing our safety without considering the cost, or pursuing order without the consent of people subjected to those orders, we are more likely to think of God as a disciplinarian, task master, or puppeteer. Our thoughts and deeds set limits on God. Our God is an awesome God; exceeding our imaginations and actions.
Church councils, scholars, and religious leaders 300 years after Jesus’ ascension developed names for God and defined God’s nature. They did this to resolve conflicts in the faith community. They identified three names for God (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) while concluding God was one being (a Trinity). God was three in one and one in three. Successive generations of scholars, leaders and councils, acknowledging new revelations and dealing with different controversies, expanded the names and traits for God. These new names and traits, like those that proceeded them, are rooted in Scripture and church tradition. God was Father and the names Creator, Mother and Parent were added. Jesus, long thought of as Son, Lord, and Savior is also understood to be Redeemer, Good Shepherd, Widow searching for a lost coin, Hen gathering chicks, and Vintner tending a winery. The Spirit or Holy Ghost, is now also referred to as Advocate, Wind, Guide, and Wisdom. Our God is an awesome God.
How do your perceptions and experiences influence your understanding of God? At age 21, I realized my perception of God was too small and my understanding of God’s will limited. This realized came during my first private confession. I made my confession while attending an overnight vigil in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Kneeling before the priest, I confessed that I was gay. To my utter shock, the priest told me that being gay was not a sin and asked, “what else do you have for me?” He explained that God made me, and loved me just the way I was: female, Afro-Latina and gay. He counseled me to reflect on whom I assumed God to be and, what God expected from me. After this he put his hands on my hand, blessed, and dismissed me. That night I realized, I had allowed judgements about race, gender, and sexual expression to shape my understanding of God’s person and will. In the years since my first confession, I have endeavored to heed Paul’s exhortation by working to develop and restore my faith, diligently searching for, and following God’s will, and living at peace with myself and in harmony with my neighbor.
Who is God to you? What thoughts and actions are influencing your perception of God, and your understanding of God’s will? As you contemplate who God is and what God expects, remember that God is far more loving, merciful, patient, concerned, and engaged than you can or we can ever ask for, or imagine. Our God is an awesome God.
