And my WORD they are amazing classes. I knew that I've appreciated ancient near eastern culture, but to be blown away like this only makes me second guess my Korean-American-ness. I mean, it's just amazing the way those people understood the bible. It's amazing to me the way they understand God, and His activities; His people and their activities.
It is becoming more evident and more clear that God is all about inter-dependence and community. I have no doubt that God is teaching me to reach out to people. Not just reach out as in outreach, but reach out to those around me. About this time last week, I posted about community and how it's just such an awesome thing to be surrounded by people you love. God, in His sovereignty is showing me this in all different angles. Already in the way people have been encouraging me, Dr. Widbin in his classes, even in my own sermon prep, I'm realizing more and more, that even if my sermon has NOTHING to do with community, it still comes down to the simple fact that WE have a relationship with God and with others. AMAZING.
I had an "aha" moment in class this morning. Something that I knew, and something that I've heard so many times before. The relationship between God and I, simply (even though we can define it in many ways), is that He is my Father. In Christ, I have inherited the blessings of His child. How many times have I heard this before since I was...well, a child? But for some reason, it just hit me so hard this morning. The proff was sharing the story about the prodigal son, and I know that of recent, due to Tim Keller's new book, The Prodigal God, there has been a lot of speculation on legalism and the older brother. And I guess I was expecting to hear this from the proff's mouth. But no - he simply shared the parable and interpreted it the way every other Sunday school pastor has. God invites the prodigal son back home.
The punch line:
The son came back home - wanting and expecting to work his way back in as a servant. But the father, without saying anything, clothes him and invites him back in as his son.
The nature of that relationship is that the father was always his father, and the son was always his son - no matter the sin, no matter the distance, no matter the betrayal. Nothing can change that relationship.
So I sat in class, and I soaked it in. speechless. I have always related myself to the younger son (and many a times the elder son), but never have I related myself to the Father in that way. The nature of my relationship with God, is that He is my father. I cannot work my way back in. I cannot change my status from child to worker of the house. I am His, and He is mine.
