Reimaging God

Yes, we are made in God's image but at some point in time, we must develop an image of God. 

We must seek comfort with God to experience all the joys and pleasures God is capable of presenting to us. If you imagine God as someone you fear, you will be intimidated by him or her.

God is the greatest spirit, some people might feel comfortable attaching a physical character. God is not he no is God she, God is a spirit who will always love and protect you so you might as well imagine God as a power you are comfortable with.

What you see, all too often, is just what you get. And so perhaps this parable is inviting us to examine closely the pictures of God I believe we each carry around inside of us. Might we, Dear Partner, therefore ask our people what they think about when they think of God? Is God gracious or stern, loving or judgmental, eager for peace or prone to violence. We can certainly ask these questions and invite people to voice their responses to each other or to you in the service. But there is value, I suspect, even in asking folks to ponder these questions in silence (and giving them a moment or two to do so!). We might further ask whether the picture they carry – often constructed unconsciously – matches the picture of the God we know in Jesus or may have been shaped by other persons and events in their lives. [read more PENTECOST 23 A: HOW DO YOU IMAGINE GOD]

God is heavily portrayed as this grand white man, but in reality, we don't need to retain this image and you, as a believer of God, are entitled to the choice of creating and catering to your own image of the divine power.