What if God Were One of Us?
“Can it indeed be that God dwells among men on earth?” 1 Kings 8:27
This passage is actually regarding the ark of the covenant coming to rest finally at one location, a temple built by Solomon, that had been promised by God to his father David. The ark represented the covenant between God and Israel and being a nomadic people, having it dwell in one decided location was a very big deal. So Solomon in the dedication prayer asks, “Can it indeed be that God dwells among men on earth?”
What a different reading I have of this being a lifelong Christian. For our Jewish brothers and sisters this marks a moment of solidarity. For me, it almost foretells the reality of Jesus. But it does more than that because we are told that Christ will come again and we tend to look for signs of anyone actually being God. Because we are told that God dwells within each of us, there is no one place to seek God. But shouldn’t we ask the question that Solomon asks God, “Can God dwell among men on earth?” IS this something we believe? I would say that if we did believe that than it brings about a whole new dimension to the way we see the world.
What if God were one of us? (as the song goes) What does that mean to us? Are we expecting to see God here or are we convinced that it will happen in a place with pearly gates,wonderful harp music and great food? Jesus shows us that the power of God cannot be contained. John tells us that God is love. If I look around I see a lot of God on earth so I would answer the question of Solomon as “yes.”
God does dwell among us on earth. Wherever there is love there is God.
So the challenge for us is to allow God to work through us to be present to his people. We love God when we love each other. We love God when we care about each others needs. When we show the love of God to his people, God can dwell among us on earth.
Today, I pray for the openness to let God love through me. Today I pray that I don’t seek a heaven elsewhere for me alone, but that I seek a world where God can dwell among all of his people. I ask God to help me seek his will for me as we proceed through the second half of our Lenten journey.
