Son of God

Can we know what God is like, or even better, can we actually know him? Such serious questions need more than a lightweight response.

We surely need God’s own self-revelation here.  Christians believe that this is what we have in the Bible. There, in its pages, we read of a Jewish Christian who wrote a letter to fellow Jews saying, ‘in the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being.’

When we think about God having a son, we mustn’t think in natural terms of a biological father and a biological mother. Rather think of God’s Son as ‘one of the same kind’ or ‘one intimately bound up with him’; like father like son so to speak.

Christmas will be upon us very soon. The central theme for the Advent story is the coming of the Son who is Jesus, the exact representation of God as quoted above; the Son is the radiance of God's glory - so closely bound up are God and the Son, they are as inseparable as is the burning candle flame and the light it is emitting.

So, ‘Can we know what God is like?’ Yes, he is just like Jesus the Son of God, not physically but in terms of his personal character - faithfulness, goodness, kindness, graciousness, likes and dislikes. Did Jesus care about the weak, hurting, needy and outcast? Yes, and so does God. Did Jesus oppose the proud, hypocrites and hard-hearted? Yes, and so does God. Is Jesus concerned that people honour God? Yes, and God is concerned that people honour Jesus in the same way.

Can we actually know God then? Certainly, by knowing Jesus who gives us this assurance: ‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.’

An exception to the rule

A few hundred yards from our home is a road sign telling drivers ‘no U-turns’. If someone does make a U-turn then confusion and congestion are liable to occur.

Politicians are sometimes accused by other politicians, not to mention the media, of making a U-turn on some statement or policy. Making such U-turns are derided and portrayed as weakness and incompetence resulting in loss of face. Of course vacillation, inconsistency, and changing with the prevailing wind is not good amongst those in leadership, but to admit that one has got it wrong and is prepared to acknowledge it by changing direction should not be sneered at.

The Bible frequently uses the word ‘repentance’, which literally means ‘a change of mind’ evidenced by action - in other words a U-turn. This is a theme which Jesus forcibly brings to us time and again. His teaching is that faith in our own human understanding of ourselves and the world should be replaced by faith in God and that which he has for us. We are each born with a nature which gravitates to a life centred upon ‘me and mine’. Jesus’ teaching is uncomfortable because it reveals that human nature, when all the veneer is removed, has a leaning that is away from the one true God and so is towards evil. A U-turn is needed. This U-turn is real when men and women acknowledge their innate resistance towards God - the true God who is shown to us in the person Jesus Christ; they ask for God’s forgiveness and help to live differently; and they simply put their trust in the mercy and goodness of God, not in their own perceived goodness.

This was not a popular message in Jesus’ day, particularly amongst the religious leaders; it is still pretty unpopular today, that seems to be the nature of U-turning! Heaven likes it though. Jesus says, ‘there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 (supposed) righteous persons who do not need to repent. Let’s remember these words of Jesus whenever we see a ‘No U-turn’ sign, and consider at least this one exception to the rule!

To be safely gathered in

We were out for morning coffee. There weren’t any unoccupied tables, so we joined a lady sitting alone. We soon got into conversation and passed a pleasant half hour. At some point ‘church’ cropped up (we were sitting 50 yards from an attractive, 15th century church building). I mentioned that I had frequently attended there and the lady told us that she had a friend who went to the nearby Methodist Church. ‘They do lots of good work there – they fill up shoeboxes with things for children who don’t have much’.

I suspect that for many people the notion is that church is akin to other socially active organisations like The Lions or Rotary Club but with the difference that God is the patron. For others, church will bring to mind buildings, religious ceremonies and God-type things that they’d prefer to keep at arm’s length!

The word ‘church’ has, at its root, the meaning of an ‘assembly or gathering of called out people’. This hits the nail on the head. Church is a term describing a community of diverse people, each of whom has known the call (or summons) of Jesus to come to him and be brought together with other similarly called people.

Jesus uses, by illustration, a farmer gathering in his harvest where people are the wheat. He uses a similar farming analogy with himself being the good Shepherd who is out calling his wandering sheep and gathering them into his flock. According to Jesus, that which isn’t harvested is chaff, which farmers consider as rubbish to be burned. Sheep that are outside the fold are vulnerable to rustlers and wild animals.

Consider these warm words taken from the Gospel of Matthew: ‘When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”’

The workers are those who proclaim Jesus as the promised Messiah and are indeed relatively few, so I’d say listen up when you hear them!

In this harvest season are you ready to be safely gathered into it like wheat into the barn or sheep into the fold?’