Have you ever wondered what it would be like to stand before God? Often, when I was being admonished as a child, we would be told that we would have to stand before and answer to God one day. Whenever standing before God was spoken about, mostly the context was when something wasn’t right, a time of admonishment when I had done wrong. Often when people speak about standing before God, there is a sense of anxiety or even dread. Have you ever
experienced this?
In the Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent, which we have been reflecting on this week, Jesus tells us to pray that we would overcome all that challenges us so that we can stand before him. Just a few lines before this, Jesus says that we must stand erect and hold our heads high (Luke 21:28). This suggests that we should be confident and not afraid to meet him.
Our image of God is critical. If we have been formed to think that God is a policeman in the sky, waiting to catch us out or chastise us, then we will be afraid of meeting the Lord. On the other hand, if we have an image of God, our best friend, merciful and loving, we will not be afraid of meeting the Lord.
This season of Advent is where we look forward to the long-awaited Messiah, God, who comes to live amongst us. In the Scripture readings of the lectionary, as Advent unfolds, we are given a picture of a God who longs to be with us. God takes on our humanity in Christ child, meek and vulnerable. In Jesus, we meet a God who is compassionate, a God who chooses to accompany us and love us in the mess of our lives rather than keep a
black book and take glee when the day of reckoning arrives.
Our image of God determines so much: how we relate to God, how we relate to others, how we see and teach faith and how we worship. Our image of God ultimately determines whether we can stand confidently before God or whether we are so afraid that we cower away, dreading the moment the Lord may come.
Take time today to consider your image of God. What picture of God have you been taught, grown up with and hold onto? Do you, in your heart, really look forward to meeting the Lord or do you feel some trepidation and fear?
Talk to God about your image of God. If you feel so inclined, it might be worth seeking a spiritual companion to talk to about your image of God.
