Spark.
The doctrine of the imago Dei, that human beings are created in the “image and likeness of God”…. Not only is it a central doctrine to Christian life and practice but also touches, perhaps even helps to form, every other doctrine of the Christian faith.
~ Lucy Peppiatt
On earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.
~ Luke 2:14
Advent, week 2
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she would have a supernatural birth, he called her “highly favored,” and clearly she was. But she wasn’t the only one. What really got the angels excited when they brought Jesus’ birth announcement to the shepherds was that God’s favor rested upon the whole earth, every soul, and that Jesus’ coming was proof.
Last week, we looked at the crucial nature of how we think about God. This second week of Advent I invite you to consider how you think about you… which has everything to do with how God thinks about you. And God is crazy about you.
The greatest window for understanding how God sees us is through the eyes of Jesus, which I can describe in a word: worthy. Worthy of feeding and healing and gathering and loving. Worthy of correcting and defending. And ultimately worthy of his very life. We see the “motherly” side of Christ when he lamented “how often I have longed to gather [you] together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…” Which leads us to the next greatest window for understanding how God sees us: as God’s own children.
Motherhood and Fatherhood flow out of the creative energy of the Trinity and land in us because we are made in the divine image. Many have used the metaphor that humanity carries a divine spark within: We are not God, but carry some of the glory of God. A glory that can be diminished or cultivated. And we see this glory in our children—not perfect creatures but infinitely lovable. They don’t have to earn our love; even when they drive us crazy, we would do anything for them. We provide for them, protect them, correct them, and embrace them. They are worthy of love, and when children go unloved or uncared for, it is perhaps the greatest injustice we can imagine.
Our parental love is but a shadow of the divine love, so any violence or destruction ascribed to Father / Mother God is unimaginable, unconscionable. Part of the church (at least since John Calvin) believes that God actually created some people for heaven and created others for hell and that this destiny is predestined. So… which one of your kids would you choose to send to hell? No one belongs in hell, not even Hitler or the worst human you can imagine. People deserve redemption and restoration: That’s what God thinks of you.
Is that the way you see yourself? Worthy and beloved? Essentially good? The doctrine of original sin—the product of a good man’s overwhelming shame (Augustine)—has scarred our collective psyche for many generations now. We well know our human capacity for selfishness and destruction; no sane person can dispute this. But the belief that sin is original or fundamental, the most defining thing about us as we enter this world—this view mistakenly extrapolated from the Bible radically warps our relationship with God. We must recover the truth of our original blessing anchored in those first words from God’s mouth: “good,” “good,” “good,” and “very good” spoken over creation. Your essential goodness has never changed. No amount of wrong-headed behavior can remove what was seeded into you at creation.
As we gather around this year’s manger to adore the Christ-child, remember that he is here because he adores you. You personally.
growing the soul
This Advent I invite you to imagine God looking into your face, a priceless son or daughter. What do you see there in God’s eyes? What does that do to your soul?
serving the world
How do you think God looks upon the great brokenness and violence and grief of our world? Judgment or compassion? Punishment or restoration?
takeaway
More good than we know!