Dear friends,

Recently I went with Deborah to a talk given by Richard Rohr, an American Franciscan writer and contemplative.  If you come across any of his books I heartily recommend them.  It was amazing how much thought-provoking material could be packed into one short evening and I'd like to share with you two questions that he raised.

As we enter the season of Lent I hope that these questions might spark off some trains of thought as you join Christ in the desert.

Question no. 1.  When you say "I love God" do you actually love God or do you love your idea of God? 

If we're honest we would probably have to say that there is a strong element of loving our idea of God.  All of us who believe in God have some thoughts about what God is like.  We might use words like "immortal", "almighty", "omnipotent", "loving", "forgiving".   I think on the one hand it is good to have an idea of what God is like.  Such an idea might be shaped by our upbringing, the kind of Church we grew up in and the Christian teaching we received (that we might have absorbed or rebelled against).  The Psalms are full of phrases in which the Psalm writers tell God what they think of him (or should I add "or her"?).  "Lord, you are great and greatly to be praised," for example.  Those who believed God had led them in triumph over their enemies were encouraged to address God as a great victorious warrior King.  Those whose misfortunes had been reversed praised God  for rescuing them... and so on.

It is a good exercise to spend time thinking about God and our attitude towards him.  Such an attitude can assist our praying, affect the way we respond to those around us, make our theology and ultimately shape our faith.  It is good to spend time, as the Psalmists did, telling God our thoughts about him in praise and thanksgiving.

Ultimately, we need to remember that God knew we would have questions about the divine nature, and Christ can help us in our quest for God.  Paul in Colossians (1:15) tells us, "He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."  If we want to get close to God, and have a clearer idea of what God is like, then we need to start with Christ, his person, his nature, his teaching, his life and death and resurrection, and above all his love for each one of us.

But we need also to remember that there is also a danger in having an idea of God.  It is sometimes tempting to think that because we are sure about who God is and what we  think God is like, therefore everyone else has to think the same!  Not so... and maybe this Lent we could spend time thinking how other people's ideas of God compare and contrast with ours. Maybe even have a few conversations with our friends, people in other Churches, people of other faiths even...?

Question no. 2.  What did Jesus actually do in the desert for forty days and nights?

I have to confess I have never really sat down and thought what Jesus did during those forty days and nights.  Matthew's Gospel (chapter 4) tells us that Jesus spent forty days and nights without food, after which he was tempted by the Devil.  What did Jesus do whilst he was getting hungrier?  Did he keep reciting the Lord's Prayer?

Maybe he spent time wrestling with what it was God wanted him to do.  Maybe he spent time being quiet in God's presence.  Many of the Psalms take on new meaning if read as Christ might have said them to God during that desert time (try Ps. 131).  But maybe Jesus just spent time in silence, being open to God and allowing God to speak to him as and when he wanted.

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