God Eats Mashed Potatoes With a Fork

God is an old white man in the sky >> 

I'm sure you'd disagree. And so would I. And so would everyone (including Gungor), at least out loud. 

But in the quiet unspoken parts of our thinking, would we be nodding a little? Would we be murmuring about God liking suits and ties so much because suits and ties are more Godlike? Might we maybe be unthinkingly thinking that God is not male or female---"but He's definitely more male than female"? Or that God is neither White nor Black---"but He's kinda more White than Black"? 

Honestly, do you more easily picture God eating mashed potatoes with a sturdy American fork or egg noodle soup with a flat-bottomed soup spoon? Do you more easily imagine God constructing a rough-hewn fireplace or a cross-stictching a lovely rose image? 

God made us in God's image, 
but we were not satisfied. 
So we made God into ours.

The Hugs Really Are Free

robertphotographics.com

Today we went out onto the streets of Chicago to give free hugs to strangers. We were stationed next to a train stop, and a tall fellow with tie-dyed hair and a long trench coat in praise of John Lennon stepped through the doors and lit up at the sight of our "FREE HUGS" sign. He hugged us all at least once. And on his second time through, he asked, "What's this for? Why are you guys doing this?" It was only 7 words into the explanation that he heard the word "God" and his countenance changed. He said, "God?" and took one step back. He bummed a cigarette off the girl at the bus stop, then hung out with one beer in his hand, leaning up against a post like he was waiting for someone. We were 30 feet from him giving hugs away, embracing strangers to acknowledge their humanity and give them personal contact.

Acknowledgement. Contact. Affirmation. Love.

For free.

But this guy was talking cynically to the CTA attendant sweeping up trash. "Yeah, they give the hugs away for free now, but they take you to church and make you pay later." The man with the broom shook his head and gave a slow, "Yeahhh," as if this had happened to everybody.

I walked to the corner, trying to get Joshua's attention across the street, to tell him that we had to head back. I turned around and there again was this same fellow with the blond and orange hair dressed in a trench coat. His said his name was Max. He motioned to two guys next to him and asked me,

"Do you wanna forsake Jesus and get f***ed up with me and my friends?"

"No," I told him. "I'm in it to win it," I said with a laugh.

But my heart wanted to say,

If you knew what He has done for me, you would know why I cannot forsake Him. And if you knew Jesus, you wouldn't want to leave Him, either. 

A crowd from the crosswalk pressed in to our corner and the three of them were leaving, but Max had a question first: "What does God think about pot?" His friend was lighting a joint as I was passing out hugs. "What's God's judgment about pot, huh?" He looked above me, past me, looking at the others with an air of challenge. "What does God think about pot?"

I caught his eyes and told him, "God has something to say about pot, but He cares more about other things, like love, mercy, and justice."

Drunk & Reassured

Busyness is the most prevalent drunkenness of the modern age.

"Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness; obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day."

Tim Kreider, in this piece.

We were impressed

We were impressed by the burning bush and the pillar of fire. We thought God was close in the Angel and in the Shekinah. But He wanted to be closer still. 

God-nearby-us wasn't good enough for Him. He gave Himself to become God-with-us. Yet that too was for something more: God-in-us! 

Isn't the Christ child the best gift we never could have expected?