Words of Faith
Rev. Rita S. Platt
October 20, 2013
Where Is God?
A young mother was at her wit’s end with her 2 boys, ages 8 and 10. The boys constantly engaged in mischief. Through the grapevine this mother heard that the minister of the local church had great success in disciplining children. So she asked him if he would speak to her boys. The minister agreed but asked to see them individually. The next morning the mother sent the 8-year-old to see the minister, with the older boy scheduled to see him that afternoon.
The minister – a huge man with a booming voice – sat the young man in the sanctuary, then he asked him sternly, “Where is God?”
The boy’s mouth dropped open, but he made no response. He just stared at the minister wide-eyed, with his mouth hanging open.
So the minister repeated the question in a sterner voice, “Where is God?”
Again the boy made no attempt to answer.
So the minister raised his voice even louder and shook his finger in the boy’s face and shouted, “Where is God?”
The boy screamed at the top of his lungs, bolted from the church, ran home and dove into his bedroom closet, slamming the door behind him.
The older brother rushed into the bedroom and said, “What happened?”
The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, “We’re in big trouble this time. God is missing, and they think we did it!.”
It is a silly story but it raises an important concern because when many people look at events in the world they come to the conclusion that God is missing.
That conclusion is rooted in their understanding of how God works in the world.
The Truman Show would best represent that understanding. The movie starring Jim Carrey tells the story of a reality show that stars a young man named Truman Burbank. Although Truman doesn’t know it, every detail of his life is being broadcast to millions of people around the globe 24 hrs a day, seven days a week. The director of the show, a man named Cristof, controls everything in Truman’s life. He picks Truman’s friends, his job, his girlfriends and even his wife. He controls the weather.
A lot of people think God works like Christof does in the Truman Show. They believe that God directly controls all the details of the earth, including the weather patterns and human decisions.
When you understand God as operating as a controlling God like Christof, everything happens to you. And sometimes that happens. Sometimes things occur in our life.
Primarily God works in the world through human elements. We can see many examples of this in scripture:
God works through Adam and Eve to name the animals and tend the garden.
God works through Moses to set the people of Israel free.
God worked through Mary who gave birth to Jesus.
“and the Word became flesh and lived among us” John 1:14. Incarnation means God became flesh. As the church we are called to be Jesus’ hands, arms, feet and heart.
Where is God in Wilkinsburg?
God is providing nice clothing for persons in the community.
God is visiting the sick and the lonely.
God is lovingly preparing food distributed at Bethlehem Haven and the Hospitality meals.
God is making sure when someone losses a love on they don’t have to worry about having to provide something to eat after the funeral service.
Our actions can help people see God.
I once heard a story about a woman who locked her keys in her car in a rough part of town. She found an old coat hanger lying on the street and tried to break in, but with no success. Feeling
Desperate, she finally prayed, “Dear God, please send somebody to help me.” Within five minutes an old rusty car pulled up. A rough-looking, tattooed, bearded man walked toward her. She thought, “Great Scott! This is who God sent to help me?” But she was desperate. So when the man asked if he could help she said, “Can you help me break into my car?”
He said, “Sure, I am good at that.” He took a coat hanger, walked over to her car, and in 30 seconds flat opened the door. She hugged the man and said, “Thank you so much. You are a very nice man.”
He replied, “Lady, I am not a nice man. I got out of prison just today. I served 2 years for auto theft and have only been out for about an hour.” The woman hugged the man again and shouted, with great enthusiasm, “Thank you, God, for sending me a professional!”
The least you can believe and still be a Christian is God works through human beings and sometimes God uses the people we least expect. Will we be open to see God in the face of another?