“My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty! There’s nothing my God cannot do!” We sing this song with our children. God is mighty! He is almighty! We like God to be big, mighty, and even a bit untouchable. The question I’ve been wrestling with for a few days (which is why this blog is late getting posted) is, “Is God vulnerable?”
Paul says that the “weakness of God is stronger than human strength” in 1 Corinthians 1:25. We place a lot of emphasis on human strength found in the “self-made man,” in autonomy. We prize the person who needs no one. The rugged individual who can stand on their own two feet. When we look at God, we see three persons existing in mutuality. Where the self-made man desires control, the Threeness of God seems to love vulnerability.
We have focused on why we Gather and now we shift to what happens when we Gather: We Receive, and we Offer. Relationships are founded in a dance of giving and receiving. If you are in a relationship where you only give and never receive, the relationship feels lopsided and it fails to feel mutual. What does it mean that when we come together, everyone has something they need to Receive, and everyone has something they can Offer?
God places himself in a position to Receive from us. He places himself in a position of relationship where we are given value because he desires to receive from us and not just give to us. What harm do we cause in our relationships if we refuse to receive from others? How do we devalue people when we don’t allow them space to offer something to us?
In preparation for Sunday, read these passages and reflect on how God places himself in a position of vulnerability:
- Genesis 3:6-12
- Exodus 6:7
- Matthew 8:20
- Mark 15:41
- Luke 7:36-38
- Luke 19:5
- Philippians 2:5-8
- Hebrews 2:17