When God Seems Distant

When Jesus walked on the earth he was flesh and blood. One could visit with Him, shake His hand, even hug Him. As we partake in the communion meal we are told, ”Do This in Remembrance of Me”,  as the message carved in the front of communion tables remind us.

I believe the most important means we have of centering our minds on Jesus and His sacrifice is through words, reading words from scripture and hearing meaningful words spoken.  There is a direct connection between Jesus and words. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him not anything was made that was made.” Of course, we know that not all words are from the Word, or consistent with the Word. However, perhaps the fact that humans communicate with words is part of what it means to be "made in the image of God".

As we reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus, we try to grasp something we cannot see, and certainly have not touched, as Thomas was invited to do. We have read about the crucifixion, which does conjure up images, but these images remain ethereal. We can go to the images by artists to see what they envisioned, but I am confident their attempts fall short of the physical reality, or the spiritual significance.  Furthermore, we find ourselves distracted by our own physical illness, emotional states, or spiritual concerns.

I call your attention to the window over the baptistry in our building.

The window was designed by Mike Steelman, the architect who is directing the new Architectural program at Harding University.  In Mike Steelman's words, "I have always been intrigued by the point at which the divine (above) relates to the physical (below) and the cross as the point at which the two come in contact with each other.  The location of the tree outside the window was intended to modulate the light (once it grew tall enough) and provide visual interest through the window, rather than just a blank sky."

For me, meaning is found in the image of the tree that is cast on the window, as much as the window design itself.  As the sun rises, an ethereal image of the physical tree is cast onto the window, but you cannot see the actual tree from where you sit. When there is a breeze, you can even see the gentle movement of the tree. At times, the shadow of a bird can be seen fluttering about the tree, which is reminiscent of the Holy Spirit.

You may be asking, "what on earth does this have to do with our communion service?"

It is this.

There are days when things happening in our life distract us from being able to reflect on the purpose of the communion service, or to see God as clearly as we would like. It might be an illness, spiritual doubts, or an emotional state. In any case, events in our life can, and do, distract us.  

On some days the image of the tree on the window is bright and clear, which to me represents the times that one feels spiritually anchored and can sense, or even feel the presence of God.  

On other days, the image of the tree is obscured, representing the times when we know God is there, but there are things going on in our life that prevent us from feeling His presence. The cause might be a physical illness, an emotional struggle, or a spiritual struggle.

There are days when the image of the tree on the window is not visible at all. Similarly, we can lose sight of God.  

The ability to reflect on Jesus during the communion service can be obscured by spiritual, emotional, or physical distractions. Times such as this are sometimes indicative of struggles with our faith that are beyond the walls of church building. Hopefully, the varying image of the tree on the window will serve to remind the reader that others too are subject to distractions, even to the extent that their faith is challenged.

Christ was nailed to a tree. Hopefully, the image of the tree outside this window will help us remember the tree that Christ was nailed to, even when our view of the physical tree, from where we sit, is indistinct, or event invisible.

Time has distanced us from the event of the cross and from personally knowing Jesus. For some, that distance in time creates a faith struggle. It might be helpful to remember that God's view of time is not ours. Perhaps these words penned by Peter will help us understand that, from God's perspective, the event of the cross was the day before yesterday.

2 Peter 3:8     "But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day."

Our faith is strengthened by the time we spend in the Word, by the time we spend with brothers and sisters in Christ, and through prayer.

—John Keller