What Kind of God Do You Believe In?

March 19, 2020

2:42 PM

Cross at Sunrise

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

It’s such a difficult time. It’s such an uncertain time. It’s a sad time, too.

We are in Gettysburg with our family and of course, the schools have announced they will be closed for two weeks. My dear grandson, Ethan, loves school, and LOVES his soccer team. So, he is really sad, but he understands the authentic concern about this virus, which is spreading beyond our grasp.

The fact that we as a nation are doing such a poor job of testing means we have no idea how many cases are out there, and the potential numbers of persons who could be infected are staggering. The collateral damage to lower-income workers and families could be devastating.

One of my younger clergy colleagues called and asked, “Well, have you ever pastored through a pandemic?” I replied, “No. I was there through 9/11, but then people CAME to church. Now you have to say, ‘Don’t come to church.'” So what does it mean to be the church in these difficult days?

The underlying question for the church becomes, “What kind of a God do you believe in?”

Right away, we can disregard the snake oil salesmen like TV evangelists Jim Bakker and Kenneth Copeland or the damnation preachers. They claim, “This must be God’s punishment for…” then add their favorite whipping boy–homosexuality, abortion, anti-Trumpism, whatever. Anyone who believes in that kind of a God can’t be considered Christian and doesn’t deserve the time and space I have already given them.

Some believe, “This must be God’s will,” or as I saw on one Facebook post, “Don’t worry. God is in control.” Really? If God “sends” a coronavirus to ravage people’s lives and the world’s economies, what kind of a God is that?

Then some believe in the God of Pollyanna piety. A favorite verse is Psalm 91:10: “No evil will befall you; no plague will come against your tent.” Bless their hearts; these folks simplistically believe if you just pray and trust the Lord, everything will be all right. Of course, I believe in prayer, and ultimately, our trust is in God’s goodness and grace, but I would still recommend you wash your hands! In the face of complex problems and an uncertain future, simple answers about a simple God simply won’t do.

I would suggest we look to the Scriptures to discover the biblical God and look to Jesus as the example of who this God really is.

In the Old Testament, I find a God who chooses to journey with God’s people, a God who remains faithful despite their sinfulness, a God who seeks to redeem God’s people by his grace. Did the people still suffer the agony of slavery in Egypt or the sorrow of the Babylonian captivity? Sure they did. But they survived by the assurance that this God was traveling with them.

We face the challenges of these days in the confidence that we do not face them alone. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Sarah, Rebekah, and Ruth still journeys with us to bring hope in the face of despair and calm in the face of confusion.

And in Jesus, we see a God who is willing to go all the way to the cross to demonstrate God’s unfailing, redeeming love. Even Jesus was not immune to human suffering, which comes to all of us at one time or another. He cared for the hurting and wept with the grieving. He went to the cross as the sign and seal of God’s unfathomable love. In the Resurrection, the darkness of Good Friday was turned into the victory of Easter. Even death was defeated in the promise of new life.

So the God we believe in is a God who journeys with us through these dark days. This God is “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” who promises us hope and new life.

In the dying words of John Wesley, “Best of all, God is with us.” We are not alone. Thanks be to God.

~ PS: Two things to do while quarantined: 1. Read a book. I would suggest the dystopian novel “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel. Set along the shore of Lake Michigan after a worldwide pandemic, the theme is “survival is not sufficient.” 2. Write letters on paper, put them in envelopes with stamps, and mail them. The Postal Service is still at work, and it can help overcome “social distancing.”

The Rev. Jack Harnish is a retired clergy member of the Michigan Annual Conference. This post is republished with permission from MIConnect, an online magazine published by the conference.

Comments (2)

Comment Feed

Realistic and Hopeful

Thank you brother Jack for this realistic and hopeful word!! It inspires uo to really see life as it os and though we do not understand we continue to trust the God who has called us in Jesus Christ. This inspires us to continue to have hope!!
God richly bless you!!

Eriberto Soto more than 4 years ago

What Kind of God

What kind of a God sends a man to die on a cross? Jesus was a human being, but he was a dissident to his Jewish followers and the Roman Empire because he wanted to treat everyone with respect, even those who were not Jewish or followers of the leaders of the day. No one dare to disagree with those who were in power. Um, I see a similarity to today, don't you?
As was the fate of all dissidents, Jesus was crucified. Did he "arise from the dead on the third day?" No, his body did not arise from the dead, but his followers were so entranced with his view and their love for someone who felt that they had worth, especially women, that they thought that they "saw" him. It was because they wanted him to be still with them in body as well as spirit, that they thought that they "saw" him. My father in law, months, even years after my mother in law's death, "thought that he saw her in the living room." This was not a comfort to him, as it might have been to some people who have lost a beloved spouse or child, but to my father in law it was upsetting and he wanted to sell his home. My lazy brother in law, at 44 years of age, did not want to have Dad sell the house,and find his own place to live,thus, my father in law stayed, became severely depressed to the point of dementia, and eventually had to be placed in a LTC, where he died five years later.

Carla more than 4 years ago