ACTS 17:24-27
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.
Good morning. Transcendence and immanence. On the surface the two appear incapable of sharing the same space. And yet Creation with its tall mountains and deep oceans make clear that transcendence and immanence have traveled together since the beginning. Together they describe the God of Creation and define God’s relationship with us.
But how is God transcendent? First, God is self-sufficient. God does not “need” the world to be God. Second, God is not bound to the confines of Creation. Rather, God is above and beyond Creation existing in every corner of the universe. Third, God is not forced into relationship with us or Creation. Instead, God freely chooses to have a relationship with both.
Believers dare not suggest , nor does the evidence support a God so far beyond the world that God stands incapable of a relationship with Creation. God is not a remote deity unable to see, hear, or know what happens in the universe.
What does it mean to confess one’s belief in God’s immanence? First, one expresses assurance that God is fully present to creation. Second, one professes hope that God is active in Creation. the universe being involved and working in human history. On the other hand, we should not collapse God so thoroughly into the world that prevents our God from standing over the creation God made.
How does a transcendent and immanent God choose to interact with a fixed and finite Creation? First, God dwells in Creation as Spirit. As Spirit, God serves as the source for life for all of Creation. For there exists no particle or creature in Creation capable of sustaining itself apart from God’s spirit. As Spirit, God does not stand still or keep quiet. Rather, God’s vigorous and bold actions come to fruition by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Second, God resides in Creation as Person. Now to be born a person is to be born with mystery, self-governance, and freedom. Even among those closet to us, no one exists completely transparent to another. Ultimately, there remains a part of us that a mystery. As a person, each of us exist as self-determining agents. We possess the ability of choice. As a person, we have the freedom to act. Our actions extend beyond the control of others.
While God’s full person was revealed in Jesus, the innate qualities of person-hood still apply. Though Jesus reveals much to us, our efforts to completely comprehend the Lord of Creation will always leave with us a mystery we cannot solve. While Jesus certainly wants us to support His plan to redeem Creation, Jesus will accomplish His self-determined goal for creation whether we choose to help or not. Despite our attempts to exert our power or influence, Jesus’ autonomy clearly persists well beyond our ability to control.
Finally, God endures in Creation as Eternal. Of course, our perception of preset events comes immediately. Our awareness of the past always depends upon the state of our memory, while our view of the future rests solely on the condition of our hope.
As Eternal, however, all three segments of time exist in God’s present. Since all things are present to God, God also retains perfect and full knowledge of the world. With no lapses or gaps in God’s knowledge, God holds the power to finish His divine plan to redeem Creation.
Now if we acknowledge that God is present in all times and places, then shouldn’t it be possible for us to trust God with every second of our lives? If we admit that God is all knowing, then wouldn’t it be plausible that God knows what is best for us? If we confess that God is all powerful, then couldn’t it be conceivable that God will do what is best for us?
So this week may each of us seek out the God of the universe who transcends comprehension. May we reach out for the Lord of Creation who descends into our suffering and grief. Because no matter where we may be in our faith or in our struggle, we can trust that our God is never far off.
CJE