When God Got a Face

We are curious about peoples’ appearances. For instance, if you are reading a book you enjoy very much, on several occasions you probably turned to the back cover to look at the photo of the author. While physical looks can often be deceiving, we feel that just being able to put a face with a name is important.

The birth of Jesus of Nazareth is the event which enabled all human beings to put a face with the name – God. From the beginning of recorded history people have tried to describe God in a concrete way. Some of those attempts have been surreal such as the Hindu god Lord Ganesha who has the body of a man, the nose of an elephant and 4 arms. The idea of a god who cannot be seen or touched or spoken with is for many, unacceptable. And so, an image invented by another human being is the only option.

Throughout the Old Testament, the God of the Israelites made it very clear he would not accept worship through any kind of statue or carving. He did not want people to limit him by their human preconceptions of who and what he should be. But then, suddenly, God reveals himself in the most tangible way possible, he becomes a human being and lives life as we know it for some thirty years.

Jesus didn’t mince words when it came to who he is. On one occasion he said to his disciples, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” In Jesus, God got a face. And what a face it is, full of all the power and majesty we would expect from God joined with an uncompromising commitment to bring us into his family, even if it meant dying on a cross.

This Sunday we begin the New Testament portion of our Story Bible series. If you haven’t been able to accompany the weekly readings up to this point, don’t let that keep you from starting this week. God’s face is too good to not look at!

Saturday evening service – 6:00 pm
Sunday morning service – 10:00 am