Musing on what God’s like…
Revelation: ‘Then the Lord said to Moses…’ (Exodus 30:11,17,22,34) The story of the Exodus is of a nation’s freedom from slavery… and of their God revealing himself to them.
A complex variety of sacrifices, commandments, laws and religious practices showed the Israelites something of what their God was like.
…and God revealed himself in conversation with Moses.
Reason: Today (28th January) is St Thomas Aquinas’ Day. Thomas was an influential medieval scholar, theologian and philosopher.
Many people in Thomas’ day believed that faith, obtained by revelation, was in direct opposition to knowledge obtained by the mind, reason and the senses.
Thomas believed that ‘both kinds of knowledge ultimately come from God’; they were therefore compatible and could work in collaboration. Revelation could guide reason and prevent it from making mistakes; reason could clarify and demystify faith.
Restoration: I’m reading Russell Brand’s autobiography. 20 years ago this comedian and TV personality was addicted to alcohol, sex and drugs. His life was a mess.
Helped by the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 step programme and many friends he’s turned his life around and has been addiction free for many years.
The AA programme speaks of ‘a Power greater than ourselves that could restore us to sanity.’ Russell’s not a Christian, but he believes that a higher power can recover and restore the ‘you’ that ‘you were meant to be’ – the best ‘you’ that ‘you are capable of being’.
My Christian faith helps me understand the ‘greater power’; I’m with him on recovering restoring the ‘best you’.
Relationship: Yesterday I had different conversations with Penny and Kim. Both would say they were Christians; neither would claim to be strong or dedicated to their faith.
Both spoke of praying for people and situations that they were concerned for, of communicating with a God that they related to and were in relationship with…
I think they’re a bit like Moses.
malcolmsmusings.org 