'Into-Me-See'

In Sunday's sermon I spoke about the church (and its members) being the temple of the Holy Spirit, a place where God himself dwells, and that we as that temple can be a place where others meet God. Yet, to accurately 're-present' Father, Son and Holy Spirit to another person, we must be in an intimate relationship with that God by the Spirit who lives in us. How?

Intimacy with another human being necessarily involves vulnerability, because I risk rejection -- what if I reveal something less-than-perfect about myself, and the other person runs away screaming?

A mentor described intimacy to me as "into-me-see." The Lovely Joanne and I share deeply, not only of the ups and downs of each day, but of our hopes and our frustrations, including with each other. Each of us allows the other to "see into" ourselves, and due to that continuing openness, we know we are accepted and secure even when we disagree. But that has taken time and effort.

What does this have to do with being in an intimate relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Well, God has taken the first step (he always does!) by telling us about himself. The entire Old Testament tells us of God's pursuit of his children, of his heartbreak when they stray (see the book of Hosea, for instance) and of his ceaseless preparations to bring us back into the intimacy he desires.

But wait, there's more! Jesus, Immanuel, God-with-us, came to let us 'see into' the Father's own heartbreak, so to speak, over our sin of turning our backs on him, and his passion to bring us back into an embrace of love. Jesus showed the passion of God for us when he reached out to people in all kinds of nasty situations, and brought healing and grace wherever he went. He also let himself be killed by hateful, spiteful humans so he could absorb their sin and ours, and take it to the grave with him. That's a lot of vulnerability! So now we can 'see into' God and know his love for us.

More than that, God 'sees into us' deeply and fully -- and loves us despite the reasons we think he would "run away screaming." You will never be more secure than in the love of the God who can 'into-me-see' and still accept me, and you. So it's perfectly safe to complain, worry, fear, and even be angry, when talking to this God -- that will only increase the intimacy that he desires with you. And his love coming back to you will help you relax and be fully intimate with him. What are you waiting for? You'll never find better!