NAture and grace

This painting is called: "Even In The Darkness Of Our Sufferings Jesus Is Close To Us" by Elizabeth Wang.  In my congregational formation class, we have been discussing the way God and humanity interact. As Christians, the Bible teaches us that God gives His image and likeness to us. In the first creation account God creates the whole world and creates as its capstone, humanity, male and female. They are like God: they create, they understand, they communicate, they had the potential to shape and form life and the world around them. The Bible also teaches that there was a garden in which humanity lived and were offered a choice: Eat of any tree's fruit except for one, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Humanity failed in their choice and chose themselves over the goodness that God had provided and in that sense, our first parents fell. Their ability to choose to do good was marred. Their relationships with each other, with God, and even in themselves were broken. Distrust abounded as did a proclivity to do wrong. God's creation was set on a destructive path, as were the friends He had created to share in fellowship with Him.

But God does not leave wrong to its own ends, and will not give His creation, and especially His friends away.

God's Holy Spirit, which hovered over the waters of creation, hovered instead near to the hearts of humanity, calling and wooing them to listen and respond. The Holy Spirit worked in the spirit of Humanity and restored to them the ability to hear. Where there was only sickness and death, God's  power brought healing and life. Now God's human creation can respond to God's calling to love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly with Him, not because they are innately good, but because God has opened their ears, awakened their hearts, and blessed their minds. God sends Jesus to Humanity to serve as example, act as mediator for wrong doing, and provide the avenue for following where God would lead.

The picture above reminds me that God moves on our behalf, and often acts before we ask so that we might be restored. Much like when I lead my children by the hand through a crowd, Christ leads our hearts to places that we might respond and obey. Thank God that He didn't wait for me to want to follow before He began to show me how to follow!