“Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you…guide all the nations on earth.” – Psalm 67:4
Dear Saints, Where do you see God? Do you see God in nature, or hear God in the quiet moments? Do you see God in children, hear him in their laughter? Do you see him in the lightning and hear him in the thunder? Or do you see him when helping hands are reaching out in loving care? The more we keep our eyes and ears open for God’s activity and voice in the world, the more we will recognize his creative and life-giving presence all around us. There’s no end to the ways we can experience the divine.
Just as all individuals see God in different ways, so do different cultures. Some find God in quiet mediation, while others make a loud and joyful noise. Some emphasize bringing offerings before God, while others focus more on acts of service toward the neighbor. Some put all their energy into major holy-days, while others seek God daily. Around the world, God is called by many names, but one thing remains the same: divine presence in and among the human experience.
Psalm 67 calls “all nations” to sing with gladness and celebrate God’s guiding hand in every part of earth. This psalm makes the radical claim that even outside our religion, all nations of the earth have access to God. Sometimes we like to think that we have exclusive access to God. But scripture acknowledges over and over again that the God who created the whole world has an active presence in “all nations.” And this presence in “all nations” started before any missionaries were sent to “convert” other peoples. The God who created all peoples has always been present among all peoples.
We may never know or understand all the ways God reveals himself to those outside our religion, but that’s OK. We know God is almighty. We know God is love. We know the Son of God. For us, that will have to be enough. For others, we give thanks for the many and various ways they are invited to see God.
+ Pastor Ginger +
