Who is God?

Jann Martin September 3, 2006

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Song of Solomon 2:8-13

Gospel Lesson

⁸ "Ah, I hear him - my lover! Here he comes, leaping on the mountains and bounding over the hills. ⁹ My lover is like a swift gazelle or a young deer. Look, there he is behind the wall! Now he is looking in through the window, gazing into the room."

¹⁰ "My lover said to me, 'Rise up, my beloved, my fair one, and come away. ¹¹ For the winter is past, and the rain is over and gone. ¹² The flowers are springing up, and the time of singing birds has come, even the cooing of turtledoves. ¹³ The fig trees are budding, and the grapevines are in blossom. How delicious they smell! Yes, spring is here! Arise, my beloved, my fair one, and come away.' "(1)

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

In this ancient Hebrew love poem we hear King Solomon's beloved, talk about him and the beautiful spring season that has begun. We can also look at this as people praising God for the beauty of the seasons. We need to remember not to let our problems interfere with looking at the beauty around us that God created. It is also important to take time out of our busy schedules and enjoy all of God's beautiful creation.

Another way to look at this poem is the love we have for God or Christ as part of a community of believers. We can see God's love for His people when He brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt and gave them a chance for a better and more productive life. Another way to look at this is that Christ died for our sins and has freed us to live a better life as Christians looking out for those around us. We can do this by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This poem helps us look at God as someone who is present in our lives, not a deity who is far away and distant. He wants to be present in all aspects of our lives. He isn't standing back waiting for us to decide we should look for Him. He is knocking at our door and anxious for us to open it and let Him into our lives.

The Israelites had a stormy relationship with God. Sometimes they followed Him and sometimes they thought He was too demanding, or a "jealous God." He didn't want them to praise the local gods or pray to them. But our God loves us so much that He even died on the cross to save us from our own sins.

Who is God? What does God look like? We tend to think of God as up there in heaven while we are down here on earth. He is up there looking down on us as we try to make it through our daily lives. What happens when a tragedy like a hurricane happens? Is He just up there watching or is He down here helping us through the storms in or lives? I believe that He is a God of love and is always right in the middle of our lives. He came down to earth and lived with us as Jesus. He stays with each of us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God comes to us as the shepherd who when one of His sheep was missing, left the 99 to find the one that was lost. He comes to us as the woman who lost a coin, and when it was found, she called all of her friends to celebrate that what was lost was found. We can be the lost sheep or the lost coin, when we turn our lives over to God, He rejoices and celebrates that what was lost is found. God can come to us in many different forms. He loves us and will take whatever form is needed to get our attention and turn to Him.

This story of Twinkies and Root Beer shows two of the forms He can use:

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer, and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons.

The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at the boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.

Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

~author unknown~

So you see we can find God in many places. He's not sitting at a desk in Heaven only making appointments when He feels like it. He is available anywhere at anytime. Our faith is a gift from God. It is the most loving gift we will ever receive. We show Him our appreciation when we worship, pray, serve others, and give our offerings on Sunday morning. We show Him our love when we work at the Food Bank, walk in the Crop Walk, visit the sick and lonely, and watch someone's children so they can have a break. In each of these acts, others can see a glimpse of God. I hope many see God in your acts of love and caring.

Amen.

©Jann Martin 2006