That is why calling God 'Father' is the great act of faith, of holy boldness, of risk. Saying 'our father' isnt just the boldness, the sheer cheek, of walking into the living presence of the living and almighty God and saying "Hi Dad'. It is the boldness, the sheer total risk, of saying quietly 'Please, may I too, be considered an apprentice son.' It means signing on to the Kingdom of God. (pp. 19-20)
When we call God father, we are called to step out, as apprentice children, into a world of pain and darkness. And we will find darkness all around us; it will terrify us; precisely because it will remind us of the darkness in our very own selves....the temptation then is to switch off the news, to shut out the world, to create a painless world for ourselves...But if, as people of the living creator God, we respond to the call to be sons and daughters...then we are called to be the people through whom the pain of the world is held in the healing light of the love of God. (p.21)
This, then, I dare say, is the pattern of Christian spirituality...it is the rhythym of standing in the presence of the pain of the world, and kneeling in the presence of the creator of this world; of bringing those two things together in the name of Jesus and by the victory of the cross...and of calling God "Father". (p. 22)
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"....then we are called to be the people through whom the pain of the world is held in the healing light of the love of God." Is that not a HUGE statement right there? That is a big call. I've never thought of it that way but I think that is extremely true to what our call is..........hm..........very interesting thought.
May I say it is the "climax" of us standing in the presence of God's healing light and 'bearing witness to the pain in the world'. To be a part of this is such an amazing thing. The mystery of this transcends all human understanding.
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