Wednesday, January 6, 2010

How to See God

He stood there waiting to talk to me. He was silent until one of the big people who was talking to me after one of our Christmas Eve services finished. His father indicated that he wanted to ask me a question.

I knelt down to his eye level and said, "Well, what is your question?" "If Jesus sits on the right hand of God, who sits on the other side," he said? Come to think of it I have not really thought about that. I wondered where he got the "sitting on the right hand" stuff anyway. Then I remembered that we did use the Apostle's Creed a few Sundays ago. How is it that children pay attention when "big people" read "right on" by? (For you "big people" who are reading this and who might have gone right on by it says, "He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.")

But hey, I was the "answer man" with the robe on. I was the supposed to be the theological, biblical "expert," right? I accessed my mental flash drive. I was not sure that what I was about to say was right but that's never stopped me before so I spouted out, "Well, if Jesus is on the right side and God is in the middle then I suppose the Holy Spirit is on the other side."

He looked at me with wonder. Then I said, "The Holy Spirit is different from God and Jesus. It's mysterious...It's like our breath. It is the way God 'gets' to us so to speak." I then waited. I at least have learned to wait when it comes to answering a child's question. You don't want to jumble things up too much with a lot of words.

He hesitated not one moment and then said, "Then on a cold morning when you breathe you can see God." My goodness. I laughed...not a laugh of disrespect, a laugh of wonder. I sure never thought of that, but hey he's right. On a cold morning you "can" see God when you breathe.

"Why you could say that," I responded. Then I looked up at the child's father and said, "You know that was really good." His ,I think proud Dad, simply said, "He's a curious child."

Well I tell you it was one of my favorite Christmas gifts. I often use a certain phrase when I do the Benediction at the end of worship. I say something like: "May the God who created you in moments you did not know, bless you. May the son who came to live for you and die with and for you, bless you. And may the Holy Spirit who can enable you to do far more than you can do by yourself and who is AS CLOSE AS YOUR NEXT BREATH, bless you."

And now, thanks to this dear child I could say, "And if you want to see who sits on the left side of God go out on a cold morning and breathe." Jesus comes through again: "To understand the Kingdom of God you must come as a child." Thank you dear one for leading me closer to the Kingdom....So to all the "children of God" out there, go out on a cold morning and breathe. The One who made us "is" as close as our next breathe...and now you and I know we can see it.

Blessings
jody jseymour@davidsonumc.org

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