A Glimpse of God's "Heart"
Christmas 2a, John 1:18 (January 2, 2011)
I remember meeting a man a number of years ago. We were introduced by name only. He stuck out his hand, clasped mine and said, not "Nice to meet you," but "Good to know you!" This caught me off guard. I thought to myself, "you don't know me. Regardless of what others may have said about me, you don't know me at all." And he didn't know me. In fact he never got to know me.
How do you get to know people? We can shake peoples' hands. But that is only external unless there is prior knowledge of each other.
We could observe a person from a distance. You could describe my outer appearance: 5 foot 9, balding, a bit of a paunch (OK more than a bit) mid 50's, brown and gray hair, glasses. Such a description is far from unique. That could describe many different people. Such a description could even that of a robber at a local bank. Such a description is incapable of telling you who I truly am.
Or, you may actually come to know someone by spending time with them. There are possibilities in such an approach. Yet, unless both people while spending time together are listening, unless both are willing to honestly communicate some of their thoughts, questions, feelings, hopes, dreams and frustrations – they will never come to know each other. So, if I wish to get to know someone, I need to reveal a bit of myself. As they listen to my revelation, they decide whether or not they wish to reveal a bit of themselves. Trust begins with such mutual revelations, risks, beginnings. If such revelations continue deeper trust may ensue. Then we may decide to share experiences and new adventures together. As these unfold the other person soon realizes that I am far from perfect. Yet they might still choose to accept me. As we do things together I begin to see that they too are far from perfect. But if I continue to choose to accept them as they are, a real knowing of one another begins. This deeper kind of knowing is born as pain is shared – pain such as the death or dying of a loved one, a valued relationship, the loss of a job or a particular dream. This is also the kind of knowing between two or more people when particular joys are shared: the birth of a child or grandchild, the beginning of a new and important relationship, the finding of a new job or receiving a promotion, the sharing of the marriage of family members. As people are "there for each other" in these significant events of each other's lives trust and the reality of knowing each other continues to develop.
If such "knowing" is to last it be must be ongoing. Sometimes such "knowing" brings with it pain. "Knowing" means that there is vulnerability on both sides. When you know and care for someone there are times when you may need to speak difficult but caring words to them. Sometimes then, living with such vulnerability we hurt others whom we know. But if the relationship is to be healthy and thriving, to grow in knowing, it works through these hurts towards forgiveness, reconciliation and deeper trust. I am not sure that there is anything more wonderful than being accepted, loved and cared for by one who actually knows you!
Nevertheless, some people don't wish to know or to be known. They are incapable of trusting someone else in order to become vulnerable to them. And this is sad!
So, I ask you a question. Can we know God? Is such "knowing" even possible?
Our world is marked by devastation, death, suffering and a considerable degree of evil. Because of this many wonder, is there a God or, if there is a God, what kind of God is He/She?
Some people say that God is the One who causes illness and death even of people who personally have done nothing to warrant such suffering or an early "termination". Still, others claim that God never causes pain or suffering. There are so many conflicting views of God, even among Christians! Some people do claim to "know" God, but the resulting caricatures of God from such knowledge are amazingly different. Historically, people on different sides of wars have even believed that God was on their side. A number of members of sports teams pray to God that they may win. And if they do win that big game, they claim that God is the One who gave them to victory.
So sometimes I wonder, "Do we know God at all?"
Even the means by which people say they have come to know or in some manner experience God are so vastly different. We may be rightly suspicious of some who claim that God speaks directly to them. One deranged man entered a bank and while shooting killed three people. Some who were present during that event say that the entire time this man was shooting people he was reciting the Lord's Prayer. . . Can we imagine what kind of God, this man "knew"?
Others claim that they know God in the majesty and beauty of nature. Still others say that they discern God's will and strength for them through crystals or astrology. So I ask, by what means might we come to know God? Is this even possible?
Today's Gospel lesson ends with a clear and certain declaration of how it is that we can come to know God. The author writes, "No one has ever seen God. It is God, the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known." (v. 18 NRSV ). This is the author's way of saying that God's very heart becomes a human being and lives or tents among us. It is in this action, this revelation, this Word of God for us in Jesus, that we are allowed to know our Creator.
Now of course, Jesus is no longer physically present with us. But by observing what others have written and shared about his presence and actions in their lives we can begin to know God. By hearing Jesus' words in the context of His living, we can begin to see God's intent and purpose for us and all creation. Jesus includes those who were excluded by many. Jesus reaches out and cares for their entire beings – bodies, minds and spirits. Jesus challenges those who were convinced that they could be acceptable to God because of their own actions. He challenges them in the hope that they will turn to God through him and experience new life themselves.
Yet, as Jesus lived his life, often giving of himself for the well being of others and challenging the status quo whenever it harmed people and creation, the religious and political authorities became nervous. Jesus longs for mercy, love and justice for all. Those in authority sensed that their position, their authority and self serving understandings of God and reality were being shaken by Jesus to the roots of their flimsy foundations.
So, many of them refused to actually listen to Jesus, to see him, to wonder about what he was saying and doing. Instead, they decide to hate, to seek to kill Jesus in trying to hold onto their power and authority. And yet, Jesus in His suffering and death still seeks to reach out to them, to care for them. Wow! On the third day, Jesus is raised to birth hope, peace, new life and challenges for all of us. In Jesus we are both known by and enabled to begin to know God.
We then face responses. Will we pretend or act as if we are God? We can try to make decisions by ourselves. Or, we can abdicate God's role in our lives to the so-called "experts" or the marketplace or the seeking of pleasure.
Or, by God's grace we can actually trust Christ. John's gospel says that Jesus is in the bosom of the Father. This is a Hebraic saying, employed to speak of a particular intimacy between Jesus (the Son) and God (the Creator), such as that which may thrive between a child and his or her father or mother. So, in Jesus' live and his actions, we have the very heart (essence) of God revealed to us.
How may we know God? We can watch Christ. We can seek to hear Christ's voice through the action of God's Spirit. We can humbly seek to obey Jesus here and now, in all that we do. Such living is ever new. Such living leads us to places and people we may not even have ever thought about. Sometimes this is frightening. But such living can also be amazingly good.
John's gospel tells us that as we trust God's Word (this Jesus) we are given the power to become the children of God. Children can know the heart of their parent.
A blessed 2011 to you and to our world. May we grow in obedience and love for God in Jesus Christ.
And may our eyes be opened to a vision appropriate for children of God who loves this world. Amen.