“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10
“Seeing your face is like seeing God’s face.” Genesis 33:10
If you were asked to draw a picture of God, what image(s) would you choose? An old man with a long beard? An exploding supernova? A child molding clay? A woman giving birth?
John Indermark tells of a researcher named Helmut Hanisch who did a study in 1992 of pictures German children and youth had drawn of God. More than half of those who grew up in a religious environment pictured God in human form. Six percent of those participants portrayed God simply as a face.
Jacob had been running away from Esau for much of his life. He originally fled in fear of Esau’s retaliation for his deceit in stealing the blessing their father had intended for Esau. Jacob now wants to come home. In spite of the lingering fear of his brother’s retaliation, he presses on. When the reunion finally happens, Jacob’s fears are met with Esau’s grace. In the experience of such grace, Jacob confesses that his brother’s face is like unto the face of God.
Why?
Is it because Esau remembered Jacob’s fear and so conveys the look of acceptance and forgiveness? Is it because Esau is the one who runs to meet and embrace and kiss his long estranged brother before Jacob speaks a word? The answers are unclear, maybe leaving open the possibility for you to discern what of God might be seen in Esau’s face.
And that, in turn, opens for you the possibility of what it is you might see of God in a face you encounter today.
That is after all, at the heart of Jesus’ coming to us. God has put a face on love. That is, after all, at the heart of the church’s calling to be the body of Christ: to put a face on that same love on Christ’s behalf.
That the children in Hanisch’s study often drew God in human form accentuates a foundational truth in Christian faith. Human form and human relationship are where God must be found if God is to be found at all. Jacob sees something of the face of God in Esau.
During his ministry, Jesus focused on God’s Sovereignty, and prayed that just as He reigns in heaven so shall it be on earth. Of course, we turn from God at times and will not allow Him to reign here, over our lives, submitting to His Sovereignty. But God patiently waits, loving us unconditionally, longing for us to receive His Acceptance and Forgiveness; longing for us to see His reign on earth as it is in heaven.
So in whose face shall you catch a glimmer of God’s love and grace today? And who might be relying on you to reveal something to them of the love and grace of God?
Prayer: Sovereign God, open our hearts to the people around us this day who are reflecting your face. Stop us in our tracks, get our attention, and remind us that we too can reflect your love to those we come in contact today. With each thought of You may we examine our actions, thoughts, words and intentions to discern if they reflect You to the world as we come one step closer to understanding what it means to pray “ on earth, as it is in heaven.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.
