THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER April 26, 2009
the Rev. Ken Kroohs
(Acts 3:12-19, Ps. 4, I John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36B-48)
St. Christopher’s, High Point, NC
MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH AND OUR REDEEMER AMEN
First John tells us we are “children of God” ... we frequently call God - “Father”. Those are NOT always positive images. I wonder what would happen if I took a survey of the people here in this room .... How many would say that when they think of their earthly father they have good feelings, and how many would say the feelings are not always so good?
For people whose fathers were alcoholics, abusers, cheaters, missing, or just plain nasty comparing “God” to our “father” is not a good thing!
My father was none of those things but he too created a less than optimal image of God for me. My father was like many other fathers in that he was a bit distant. My Dad was a good, loving, caring person but didn’t interact with us a lot. He had been raised in the atmosphere where his job was to bring home the money and keep the house maintained. As all children we did not appreciate that and took the “providing” role for granted. I interacted with my Dad mainly when I disobeyed my mother! .... Which, come to think of it, means he said a LOT more to me than I want to admit!!
As a result I grew up seeing God ... “our Father” ... as the old man sitting on a throne just watching, and becoming involved for judgment and punishment. Notice how I ignored the “providing” part.
I wonder how many of you would answer a survey that was your image of God?
If your earthly father was worse, then you might find it difficult to have even that good an image of God. I suspect that may be why so many people relate more to Jesus or the Holy Spirit than to God the Father.
The danger of a negative, or at least a non-positive image is one reason I stay away from the “Father” language whenever I can. Intellectually we know that “God the Father” and our earthly fathers are not the same or even parallel. But much though we hate to admit it, human beings are more emotional creatures than intellectual. Our sub-conscious images affect us more than we admit. So what I hope we can do today is separate our earthly fathers, in fact our earthly families, from God.
I suspect God choose to use the “father” image because there are few other images available in human language. Plus, I suspect, it was God’s desire to connect more closely with human beings.
Remember in the Old Testament times, and especially in the times closer to Jesus’ birth, the name of God could not even be said! God was so distant that even saying God’s name was forbidden. Yahweh was written but not said. When the Torah is read the word “Adonai” is used which is more of a title than a name. And if you read Jewish scripture you find mostly descriptions of God – “the Holy One” ... “the most High”. When God was asked for His name God says “I am who I am”.
Notice how that plays out in today’s reading from Acts. When Peter wishes to mention God he does not have the language so Peter says: “the God of Abraham, Issac, Jacob and our ancestors”. And it appears that Peter’s reluctance to name God extends — out of habit? — to Jesus who he calls the Holy and Righteous One and the Author of Life.
Imagine having a relationship with someone whose name you do not know or are not allowed to speak? .... That is certainly a more distant relationship than what we have with family. And I suspect that one of the goals in Jesus’ time on earth was to change the tone of relationship between God and human begins from a distant relationship to a more personal relationship. Hence the familial language of “father” and “son”.
Assuming for a moment I am right, let’s examine the consequences of that change. Notice the language change from Acts, from immediately after Jesus’ resurrection, and First John - possibly 50 years later. By the time First John is written God is named as “Father” and Jesus as “son” and we as “children of God”.
That is a major change between an unspeakable entity to being made a member of a family.
Unfortunately it also creates some confusion. Non-Christians, and honestly some Christians become confused since “father” and “son” certainly implies a hierarchy and time difference. Fathers exist before sons. Yet we say Jesus is not secondary but has existed from all time. If we say that God the Father “created” Jesus the son as a human father (and mother)create a human son than we start worshiping a created being and not a God. Wrong.
So we have to accept that the language is imprecise in that manner and used only because it is the best language available. We have to accept that when we speak about “God the Father” we should attempt to envision, not our father however good or bad he is, but the best possible father.
If we can take the time to reflect and imagine what would be the perfect father-child relationship .... what would the perfect father be like ... and then project THAT onto God we might get a glimpse of what God is attempting to say.
That too might be a fascinating survey. Take a moment and visualize the perfect parent .... What immediately comes to mind? Although the priority order will vary I suspect we will find similar descriptions: the perfect parent is always there for me, the perfect parent finds a way to be very present and yet give me room to move, the perfect parent provides for me but allows me to grow, the perfect parent loves me and gives me space, the perfect parent wants me to be around but wants me to have other interests and loves.
Notice how that list includes both being close and having separation. Some people suggest the Trinity is the perfect model for our relationship with God ... simultaneously completed connected and yet independent.
Notice too how the list does not stress the “provider”. Like children who take what their parents provide for granted, we tend to take what God provides for granted.
Using a family as an image or model for our relationship with God is important. No question. But let’s flip it over and consider it from another perspective.
Every Sunday we are invited to say the Lord’s Prayer. I always use the first form of the invitation because it is so philosophically powerful: “Now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say: ..... bold to say ... What are we “bold” to say? ... It cannot be the entire prayer - that is not logical. Instead it must mean the prayer’s beginning ... “our father” ... We are bold to call God “father” .... We are bold to claim that family connection. We are bold to claim that close relationship.
Consider that .... and I suggest this is an aspect of the primary difference between Christianity and many other religions ... consider our boldness ... our ego ... to claim that kind of relationship with the being which created the universe! To claim a close personal relationship with the one who created everything. To claim a close personal relationship with the all powerful, all knowing, and all loving God.
Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that .... bold?
I have a photograph of my granddaughter being held by one of the greatest college basketball players of all time: Phil Ford. He was holding my granddaughter — but I certainly do not have a relationship with him. Possibly I could use that photo to claim a relationship with him but I can guarantee he does not know me from a hole in the wall!
At various times I worked closely with three different mayors of Winston-Salem on very important projects. But I never had a close personal relationship with them. We respected each other for what we did – but no more.
We all know people who if they have been on the same block with a celebrity will name drop like they are best friends. But we also know they have no such relationship.
And yet, we can BOLDLY say we are God’s children. We can BOLDLY call God “father”. Furthermore ... and most amazingly ... we can make those claims knowing that is what God WANTS us to do.
Unlike the celebrity who might try to shun us as stalkers ... God WANTS us to seek to be closer ... to be in a more intimate relationship. The creator of the universe not only knows you by name, but wants to know you better.
..... What person do you admire more than any other person in all the world, even all of history? If you had the opportunity would you like to talk with Albert Einstein, George Washington, Michael Jordan? .... Who would you like to meet more than anyone else?
Now imagine that you happen to bump into that person in the mall and instead of shunning you they ask you back to their home. They ask for more of an opportunity to get to know you. They welcome you into their life.
God wants that opportunity with you.
.... At this point my first draft said: “I invite you” — but that’s very wrong. God invites you into a deeper relationship through Bible study, prayer groups, etc. I invite you to discuss with me what path might work the best for you.
That’s because we can boldly say we are children of God .... and what parent does not want a deeper relationship with their child?
AMEN
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