The Parable of the Humble God
God is humble and patient. Never demanding that we change who we are or what we're doing to satisfy purity or holiness codes, aka religion.
God is rather The Way. And being The Way, God places gifts on the path in front of us. Gifts that are absolutely unique. Designed to lure us towards Shalom. When we ignore or even trample those gifts, God is so free from ego, humble, and full of love that he/she runs ahead of us, with renewed hope and a new present.
Sometimes we trip over the present because we're distracted with worry or lust or resentment and we curse God for putting stuff in our way. God understands, because God became a human and suffered the hardships and humiliations of being embodied.
God has only one desire, that each of us join in the divine dance, the joyful flow of interdependence, reconciliation, and love. God will endure anything to accomplish this desire, even torture, humiliation, and death. Jesus revealed God's determination to bring Shalom without coercion, and also the depths of God's humility by suffering the cross and forgiving those who hung him there.
The point isn't to get right with God. God is too big and humble and passionate to care about that. The point is to notice the next present and open it. Each present leads to another. It doesn't matter how messed up you are or how absurd your theology, the next present on your path is a source of life and light to energize and lead you onto the next one. Every present is a uniquely designed lure towards divine Shalom.
Everyone starts from a different place with different baggage. The only thing required of us regarding each other is compassion, for we know very well how difficult the journey, and reverence for the mystery of the divine seed hidden in each soul. The more gifts we open, the more we find, and the better able we are to help others find their own and trust God to lure them into the wholeness and connection of Shalom. The inclination to assume things about others motives or decide what other's need to do simply falls away.
We can trust God to continue being the humble God that Jesus revealed and relentlessly lure all of creation towards restoration, but that has nothing to do with trusting God to protect or provide. We are in the same boat with Jesus, called to the same life, solidarity with the outcasts. Which is why the presents are so easy to overlook or kick to the side of the road. Nevertheless, they are gifts and they lead to God's shalom.
God is humble and patient. Never demanding that we change who we are or what we're doing to satisfy purity or holiness codes, aka religion.
God is rather The Way. And being The Way, God places gifts on the path in front of us. Gifts that are absolutely unique. Designed to lure us towards Shalom. When we ignore or even trample those gifts, God is so free from ego, humble, and full of love that he/she runs ahead of us, with renewed hope and a new present.
Sometimes we trip over the present because we're distracted with worry or lust or resentment and we curse God for putting stuff in our way. God understands, because God became a human and suffered the hardships and humiliations of being embodied.
God has only one desire, that each of us join in the divine dance, the joyful flow of interdependence, reconciliation, and love. God will endure anything to accomplish this desire, even torture, humiliation, and death. Jesus revealed God's determination to bring Shalom without coercion, and also the depths of God's humility by suffering the cross and forgiving those who hung him there.
The point isn't to get right with God. God is too big and humble and passionate to care about that. The point is to notice the next present and open it. Each present leads to another. It doesn't matter how messed up you are or how absurd your theology, the next present on your path is a source of life and light to energize and lead you onto the next one. Every present is a uniquely designed lure towards divine Shalom.
Everyone starts from a different place with different baggage. The only thing required of us regarding each other is compassion, for we know very well how difficult the journey, and reverence for the mystery of the divine seed hidden in each soul. The more gifts we open, the more we find, and the better able we are to help others find their own and trust God to lure them into the wholeness and connection of Shalom. The inclination to assume things about others motives or decide what other's need to do simply falls away.
We can trust God to continue being the humble God that Jesus revealed and relentlessly lure all of creation towards restoration, but that has nothing to do with trusting God to protect or provide. We are in the same boat with Jesus, called to the same life, solidarity with the outcasts. Which is why the presents are so easy to overlook or kick to the side of the road. Nevertheless, they are gifts and they lead to God's shalom.