If God walked into the room where you are sitting right now, what would the expression on His face be?
Would He be upset with you? Indifferent? Angry?
We typically believe the first thing God would do is lecture us about is His constant displeasure with us. Why is this?
Somewhere along the way we have elevated the concept of and the consequences of our sin above the characteristics of God Himself. We know and trust His anger, judgment and wrath above the idea that "God is love."
I'm not pleading ignorance of His judgement, i'm stating that along the way we have magnified this facet of God's love (yes, His love) over His love itself. For "God is love." (I John 4:8, 16)
When i ask the students i interact with the "expression on His face" question, i rarely ever get the one i've come to know as the true answer. This one is the one where in Luke 15 the father, the God-figure, cuts his son's repentance speech short to honor him as a cherished member of the family after seeing him come over the horizon from "a long way off." This is moments after Jesus colorfully portrayed him as a sinner worthy of the worst of Jewish punishments.This is moments before the son was going to request to be a slave instead of being considered a son. The father runs and gushes and kisses and clothes and gives jewelry and throws a feast large enough for the entire village because he was in his son's presence.
On to first impressions.
In Genesis 3 we have the first act of rebellion against God, and God's first opportunity to show us that scowl we think we always see on His face in response to our sin. After Adam and Eve both eat of the forbidden fruit, what would you guess God says?
Well, He says, "Where are you?"
What type of person (or God in this case) says something like "Where are you?" (God didn't misplace Adam!) One student responded to this question with, "I would ask 'Where are you?' if i missed someone."
Wow! What if our Gospel to people who don't believe in God became more like that?
"God misses you."
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