Jack’s Winning Words 8/25/22

“If our god is not big enough to be the God of all, even of those who deny God, then our god is not God.”  (Anant Ranbachan)  With this quote Anant has given me something to think about today.  A favorite book of mine is titled, Your God Is Too Small by J B Phillips.  Anant and J.B. have helped me to understand that GOD is bigger than my concept of God.  I was led to believe that the God of the Bible is the one true God.  But, GOD is bigger than my concept of Him.  He is that…and more.  What do you think?  Is there room in our thought process for a “God of all?”  The book, “Your God Is Too Small,” is one I recommend for “thinkers.”  ;-)  Jack

FROM MAGGIE:  Good morning. Homer Hutto read “Your God is too Small” as he journeyed his life of faith. I have that copy. A visualization I often share with people to try and help them break free from their limited concept of G-D is this: Picture traveling into our atmosphere and then out into space. Continue the visual to the edge of our solar system and then the edge of our galaxy. The creator has made all of that and myriads more. We are now blessed with telescope images that help us with our visualization. This practice I hope helps some to remove the Lord from the carefully constructed box we have placed “him” into. Thank you, ===JACK:  Your God Is Too Small and his translation of the New Testament into modern English are two of the most helpful books in my library.

FROM THE SCIENTIST:  The other day, my daughter was explaining how she saw the Hindu trimurti relating to the Christian trinity; father=creator, spirit=preserver, son=destroyer. We had just heard the lesson of Jesus coming to shake things up, even bringing discord within families. I confessed I was not familiar with the trimurti but saw that as an interesting connection. She said she had been waiting for me to disagree and show her how she was wrong. It sparked a “one God” conversation ===JACK:  Like mother, like daughter.  It 's beautiful to "see" how the mind works.  I'd lover to have her as on of my confirmation students.

FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Been reflecting on the profoundness of your WW and realizing that I struggle with is the Bible tells me that the God that is portrayed there is the one true God, have spent money and time and energy reading all sorts of commentaries and perspectives—my God this is insane, too complicated, too BIG!!!!!  Then I reflected that the saving thing for my poor addled mind and, in fact, the well-being of my whole being and social being in this world is those Sacraments, that my formation includes God’s being Present to me in the washing of my body and the nourishing of my body through my digestive tract—universal needs of every human body though these I guess are regulated by faith institutional means.  In my thought process there is room for a God of all but He becomes mysteriously small enough for me to eat, as well as so big I can’t even wrap my mind around Him or maybe Her or maybe They, so much I don’t deeply understand yet.  Profound WW and it’s easy for me to believe a merciful loving God is probably compassionate towards those who deny G-d.  I have it in me to be compassionate and sympathetic too.  Have a blessed day,===JACK:  Stay tuned.  I have a WWs coming up about a GOD who is sooooo BUG that He encompasses ALL Gods of every religion.  A God so big that we are unable to humanly imagine.  One of the reasons "for Jesus" is that God wants us to understand Him from a human point of view.

FRO ST PAUL:  when talking about other world religions,  here is my quote:   Does God reveal himself in all religions of the world?  i surely hope so and i believe that he does.  but never so clearly as in the person of Jesus Christ.   if you want the clearest picture of what God is really like,  look at the life of Jesus Christ.    and seldom has anyone really challenged me on this statement===JACK:  God is Jesus...and more!===SP:  and therein lies the BIG difference.   

FROM SR RD:  Thanks, Jack! Yes, I agree with you on this and our conversation at lunch yesterday! Our "concept" of God is too SMALL!===JACK:  Through prayer and conversation we have been able to see a BIGGER God, a God of ultimate love.  "Love one another as I have loved you."

FROM ANANT:  Greetings my friend. I trust that all continues well with you.  You honor me by quoting these words for your reflection.  Thank you.  I look forward to seeing you again.===JACK:   It is you that I should be thanking for helping me to see a bigger  God.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  every religion the world over is convinced theirs is right...===JACK:  I don't believe that.

FROM PROUD MARY:  I believe in the God of All. Many Prophets…many Cultures…one Goal===JACK:  .....all of that....and more.  We continue to seek to know the unknowable.  

FROM WEB:  Whether stories are factual or allegorical is not essential; it is the truth within the lesson that matters. Both contextualists and literalists have a place; however this view is not shared by literalists.===JACK:  Keep on thinking in this way....and you will approach the truth.

FROM SHALOM JAN:  Check out an article in the NY Times about the Oberammergau Passion Play being "on" for this year after a two-year COVID delay.  There are two Muslim residents (Turkish immigrant families) who are attached to the play -- one a main character, one a more minor character and assistant director.  The old rules restricted participation in so many ways; they are gradually being updated by the Town Council at the instigation of the directors over the years.  Changes in the play are also carefully discussed by a group of Catholic clergy.  Still GOD is bigger than any person can imagine. It's a good article and makes me want to go again -- my husband and I went in 2000.  I'm preaching on Jesus as the rude guest (Luke 14:1, 7-14) this coming Sunday.  Jesus' characteristics far exceeded most of our cramped imaginations and tightly polite images.  While increasing our images of God, we need to expand our ideas about Jesus, and what he wanted to tell us, too!===JACK:  By Jove, I think that she's got it!   "Change and decay in all around I see.  O Thou, who changest not, abide with me."  That's one of my favorite hymn passages.

FROM DAZ IN COLORADO:   Interesting. I can't conceive a trillion of anything and yet to know that God is much bigger/more than that.===JACK:  If you can't thinkl that BIG, neither can I.  I admire your mind.===DAZ:  I can handle star sightings on the way to the moon, the thrust of Saturn V, and take comfort in the bigness of God but some numbers are just numbers. ===JACK:  The vastness of space is in comprehensible...as is GOD.

FROM JENS R:  Got mit.===JACK:  I'm not surprised.  You were one of my "thinking" sudents.