The concept of God is overwhelming, but the biblical standard for referring to Him as Father is much more helpful. It’s still overwhelming, but it brings it down to an earthly level that a mortal like me can understand. Remember the story where God and two angels in human form come to discuss Sodom and Gomorrah with Abraham? I think they were on their way to destroy the two cities as they stopped at Abraham’s home. The famous “if there are 50 righteous” so on and so forth Abraham brings up with Yahweh is epic. Obviously there were only four, and one of them didn’t obey the visitor’s instructions about fleeing the area. She, as you remember, turned into a pillar of salt. Wow.

That story just kind of popped into my mind as I wrote, not because I was trying to underscore the anger and wrath of the Judeo God, but because I was trying to find a segway to my sin. The story is there. You can read it. People who know Hebrew can read it in the Hebrew Bible, but I’m not sure how many of those read this blog. Try the paraphrase by the late Eugene Peterson. You might of heard of it because it’s called The Message. It’s an amazing paraphrase, but it’s not a translation. The NIV or King James Version are translations from the original languages.

The words in Scripture and the Holy Spirit convicts people of sin. I’ve grown up with the word of God on my heart, but sin has been plentiful in my life. What I’ve noticed lately during this unusual time is that we’ve been given a lot of time to contemplate the sin in our lives. There’s a phrase in our vernacular I’m sure you’ve heard before. That phrase is “ugly as sin.” I don’t know the context or history behind that phrase, but I know personally that sin is ugly. The ungodly hate and anger that I struggle with on a daily basis has talons that have been “digging” into my central nervous system for sometime. We might gravel in the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, and those were horrendous, but what this God figure we call Father wants us to do is begin internally with ourselves as we long for a better world.

We are part of an incredible church here in Nashville I have grown to love. The Small Group we became a part of over the pandemic didn’t pan out, but we aren’t throwing in the towel on the church. We’ll find another Small Group. Pastor Kevin also just announced that we will be worshipping corporately again on September 20th, and I pray deeply that the safety of that gathering. Gathering as the body of Christ in some places, such as the place that COVID-19 began, can get you murdered, but the freedoms we enjoy here allow for congregations to worship openly without the fear of government busting in to murder all participants. I don’t think sometimes we truly realize the greatness of that blessing. I’m not afraid to die for my faith, but I long for others to come to know the unconditional love of the Father as was shown in its greatest display of love on the cross, resurrection and gift of the Holy Spirit.

It’s through that power that I will be set free from ungodly hate and anger.

I bow in prayer, and worship with abandon constantly in thanks for that power that dots the skies with stars.

Come soon God the Father.