03-08-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 8, 2024
Yesterday’s Etching inspired a lot of comments, a lot of good thoughts and questions. I know I have mentioned this before, but if someone is a traditional Trinitarian and holds to the idea that Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), then how do we make sense of the unconditional love we see in Jesus and a God who is full of uncontrollable anger and wrath? If they are expressions of the same divine being, and if Jesus is the incarnation of the divine and is to provide us with a clear picture of God, then why don’t we read in the Gospels about Jesus punching people who sinned, kicking others for being greedy, and threatening to throw others into an eternal fire for not carrying their crosses properly? There are some who do a pretty interesting dance, trying to mend the two ideas, but I find all of those attempts to fall flat. It’s interesting how often people begin with the wrath and then try to make the love piece fit. Why don’t we start with love and see the idea of wrath through the lens of love.

It was Rob Bell who I first heard say that what we as humans describe as wrath might just be the harsh personal judgment whenever divine light illuminates our failures, shortcomings, or outright acts of injustice. Sometimes that light has revealed the things we’ve not wanted to see, and shame and guilt, self-anger and defensiveness all rise up against what feels like an intrusion. But in time, the light of love continues to wash over us, and we move from embracement to confession, and confession to repentance, and repentance to healing.

If Jesus is the closest thing to God that I will know, then I simply cannot fathom that God is full of wrath and ready to unleash a can of divine whoop-ass on the very ones that God calls the beloved. If you start with a God of wrath and try to back your way into love, I think you’ll always end up somewhere other than the Gospel of Jesus. If you start with love, I think your path will be filled with love, along with loving challenges to those places in life where you are falling short when it comes to reflecting the love of Jesus.

Generous and Grace-filled God, I don’t have all the answers and never will, but I do not believe you are full of wrath with a candy-coating of love on the outside. So continue to give me the capacity to see, first, your unconditional and relentless love that meets me and loves me wherever I am. And a love that continues to nudge me toward greater health within myself, my connection with others, my choices in society, and my relationship with you. I believe this is possible as I begin this day fully embraced by your love. Amen.