On October 18th, Tim Reardon spoke about Images of God — based in the lectionary passages of Exodus 33:12-23, Psalm 96, and Romans 3:21-26 — and why these images matter.
Do we know that God is a God of love and of justice? Of compassion and of holiness? Our images of God are snapshots. They guide us, but inevitably also distort our unapproachable God. They are necessary for us, but always provisional and incomplete.
Is your God a doting Grandpa? Judgemental God? Everything-happens-for-a-reason God? Cosmic-gumball-machine God? Although the image of a doting Grandpa is often associated with God, it is not the likely image you would take away from Scripture study.
Today’s passages features words like judgement, justice, and righteousness. If we’re scarred by a judgemental image of God, these terms may be off-putting. But in Psalm 96, God is a judge. For the psalmist this is cause for rejoicing: God is concerned with justice. For those who suffer injustice, this is good news. God puts things right. And the posture of those before this judge is trembling.
This is not an idol — an image of God to conform to our own desires, or to justify our own oppression. And in Exodus, God is liberating her people.
Watch the video below as Tim looks at Exodus more closely, and helps us to examine what our own idols might look like.
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Pasadena Mennonite Church 