A Light in the Window

A Light in the Window
Susan Hoyle, pastor Trinity United Methodist Church

We use words to describe everything in our lives. We describe a sunset as beautiful, colorful or perhaps a gift from God. We describe love as “my child,” a feeling in our hearts or a strong connection with another person. From things we can see with our eyes to experiences we feel with our hearts, we use words to make sense of them. Words help us to make connections with what we see and experiences we have so we can hold on to them.

We even use words to describe the indescribable, God. Even though there are no words that can describe God, human beings have been trying for thousands and thousands of years to understand who God is to them. Each of the 66 books in our Holy Bible attempts to describe God. The first book in the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament as we commonly call it, is Genesis (which means beginning). The first verse, actually in the first 5 words, the writer attempted to describe God. “In the beginning when God created…” The image of God is seen as creating, Creator God. Then another image of God is found in that same sentence, “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, as a wind from God swept over the waters.” God is also described like the wind. You can’t see the wind but you can feel it; it’s presence is known to you. What a beautiful way to describe God.

What words do you use to describe God? As you think of how you describe God, do these words draw you closer to God or do they keep God at a distance? The words we use to describe God can either bring us closer or turn us away. Let me explain. As children we often see God as we see our parents. If we have a loving, caring, encouraging father, we may see God in that same way. If we have a father who is distant, perhaps critical, we may see God that way. It’s the same with out mothers. A loving mother means a loving God and a mother who calls you dumb or stupid may just mean you think God sees you in that way, too. Perhaps parents tell us that God is always watching us and keeping a list of everything we do wrong so you better behave. What you hear is that God is out to get you. These images of God can either draw us closer or we might just turn and walk away from God. And God never wants that to happen.

It’s important to think about our images of God and to wrestle with them, to make sense of them as adults so we can decide if they are life giving or life draining. We may hold these images but never really think much about them. Yet, the images we hold of God may keep us stuck, and we’re not even aware of it. God never wants us to remain stuck on our faith journey; God wants us to come closer, to be drawn closer to God’s heart. From the beginning, God created us to be in relationship with God, to be partners in this world to care for creation, for each other and to point the way to Jesus Christ to everyone we meet. As you think of the words you use to describe God, my prayer is that you feel so close to God, it’s as if a gentle wind is touching your face…amen.