Tuesday 3 March 2009

We continue with King's look at the character of God.

I am thankful that we worship a God who is both toughminded and tenderhearted. If God were only toughminded, he would be a cold, passionless despot sitting in some far-off heaven "contemplating all," as Tennyson puts it in "The Palace of Art." He would be Aristotle's "unmoved mover," self-knowing, but not other-loving. but if God were only tenderhearted, he would be too soft and sentimental to function when things go wrong and incapable of controlling what he has made. He would be like H.G. Wells' lovable God in God, the Invisible King, who is strongly desirous of making a good world, but finds himself helpless before the surging powers of evil. God is neither hardhearted nor softminded. He is toughminded enough to transcend the world; he is tenderhearted enough to live in it. He does not leave us alone in our agonies and struggles. He seeks us in dark places and suffers with us and for us in our tragic prodigality.

What I now like about King's images is that he is talking about an ever-present God. A God who does not abandon us but rather joins in with us in all that causes suffering and despair. In some ways, I can interpret the idea of toughmindedness to be God being tough for us. That is...no power...no principalities (sounds like Paul) can separate us from the love of God. If you want to try to be that power...beware because God's love is so everlasting God will be right in the middle of any attempt to do us in. God will be toughminded about the powers of evil so that mercy and kindness and forgiveness and reconciliation will be the sustaining power in our lives....nothing else. I often wonder if that is what King could see. He could see God alongside the marching and speaking and truth-telling in the face of the powers of evil. He would then act as though this toughminded and tenderhearted God was and is and will be the very ground of new life.

Connection: We are invited to enter this day assured that our God prevails in all time and abides with us in and through all things.

Blessed are you, O God, for as we move through the days at hand your promise to abide with us knows no end. We are therefore granted a new day to live within the power and character of your Reign. We praise you for choosing to carry on with us. Amen.