Take a look at the church sign in the picture and see if you are shocked. Yes? No? I am not referring to Brad and Steve's acting but the message, "Have you made God smile today?" I find that absolutely shocking for a church to infer that God's default view of humanity is at best neutral or probably angry. It's as if God starts each day grumpy and needs humanity to do something to put a smile on His face. Of course then we have to start each day figuring out what we can do to make Him smile. What kind of loving relationship is that? What kind of self-centered Trinity would that represent?
Imagine a child who wakes up every morning worried about what they will do today move their parents from being grumpy and angry or distracted? Yesterday's smile is gone and its got to be earned all over again today, tomorrow and everyday the rest of life. I think that child would be destined to want to get our that house as soon as possible. Wonder if that's a clue for churches to explore about their declining attendance?
And we drive by signs like that or hear similar messages in sermons and it seems to not register how contradictory that is to the image that Jesus gave of his Father's love. We listen to Christian radio and TV speakers contradict both themselves and each other's messages and don't even recognize it. A message begins "God will never leave you or forsake you" and then it switches to " but if you don't ______ then God might choose to lift his hand of protection from you." Or, "God loves you unconditionally" and then they add "IF you will just _______. If not, then you will suffer retribution like you can't imagine." Or like the message of a nationally recognized pastor last week suggesting that it was a loving God who directed a tornado to damage the church-building to warn a denomination about the liberal direction they are about to take. Does that not suggest we accept a lot of unhealthy BS about God?
Yes, I know the old fall back positions people use to avoid seeing the contradictions, "God's ways are above our ways" and "God works in mysterious ways." I get that but it is usually a signal that says "end of conversation."
On the other hand Jesus had a lot to say about the Father. One of the most profound statements attributed to Jesus is "...no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Matt 11:27b) So neither Abraham, Moses or the OT prophets understood the Father like the Son. If Jesus is the full, complete and clear revelation of the character of the Triune God then, to a large degree, God's ways have been communicated more accurately than the OT witnesses left for us. The "Truth" that Jesus models is not logical, objective theology but the extravagant compassionate love and acceptance that is the core characteristic of the Trinity. His stories reflect the Father's passion for us to know His heart for us.
Yet, it does not shock us to hear disasters called an "act of God.". Someone is ill and not getting better and family members wonder, "Has someone sinned secretly and God is withholding healing to reveal it?" or "Yep, I guess God had to use that to get my attention." Well known Christian leaders get up without embarrassment after disasters like 9/11 or Katrina or AIDS saying that it is God's punishment for tolerating "sinners" among us. We hear and read these kinds of BT about God all the time and don't seem shocked by them.
"Ok Dr. Paul, but does it really make any difference?" ABSOLUTELY IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE because it impacts the relationship we experience with the Father and that is what The Trinity is most passionate about. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so we could worry about whether we had made God smile?" NOT. His passion is for our heart to be thrilled with His heart for us.
Let me be so bold as to suggest that the focus of the Trinity's heart is "What can we do today to make them smile?"
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