It is a question that is usually unspoken, but a question that resides in the mind of all humanity.

Who is God? Or, perhaps, “what is God?”

The Bible states that man was created in God’s own image, but what does that mean? If we are to judge from artist’s many depictions, God seems to be a wise old man with white hair and a flowing beard. But once again, we are faced with the limitations of our own life experiences. Once again. our handicap is the fact that we are limited to the tools of our existence, our five senses.

When we begin our effort to understand, we are forced to admit that the very term “image” is tied to our sense of sight. So, we assume that God has a physical appearance that we could detect with our eyes.

The Lord’s Prayer and the words of Jesus Himself refer to God as the “Father.” Still, we might question if the use of that term is the result of the culture of the times when male figures were the dominant sex, the warriors, the power of the community. And so, we fall into the habit of accepting that designation without even considering the possibility that God has no specific sex.

With these clues, and the limitations of our language, personal experiences, and the limited inputs of our five senses, we find ourselves unable to grasp the totality of what God truly is. Perhaps God has no physical form that we can detect with our eyes. Perhaps God has no need to exist as a male or female or to occupy a space in our environment.

Perhaps we need to employ our imagination to begin to appreciate what God is. Using that imagination and the library of thoughts we inherit from those who have expanded their visions before us, we might begin to compile a new image of God.

We might begin to realize that there are dimensions of existence beyond our senses, just as there are wavelengths of light that our eyes cannot detect. It is also a certainty that there are forces that we cannot detect or understand. Our science struggles to explain concepts for which we have no language, by modifying or combining terms we have already accepted. We describe the distance to a distant star by coining the term “light years” to comprehend the incomprehensible.

Finally, we delve into the realm of emotions as a way to wrap our heads around the puzzle. And perhaps it is here where we find the ultimate answer.

Perhaps, as the expression states, God is Love, and it is just that simple. Perhaps, to be created in His image means simply to be a self-aware spiritual being who is capable of embracing the power of love.

Of all the mysteries of our existence, time is perhaps the greatest mystery. It is also one of the most powerful proofs of the existence of a Creator.

When we talk about time, we find ourselves using the preconceived definitions of time to describe itself. In essence, we come full circle, describing time as a sequence of events that requires an acceptance of the common understanding of time to begin with. We invent concepts to describe time, such as the completion of the earth’s orbit around the sun as a year. A single rotation of the earth becomes a day, and we arbitrarily dissect that day into 24 hours and each hour into 60 minutes, and so on. We further complicate our understanding by measuring the distance to another star in terms of light-years, or the distance light would travel while our earth makes one rotation around our sun.

If we step back a moment from this confusing mix, we realize that all our understanding of the concept of time comes from our own tools invented to describe it. In fact, it is almost impossible to discuss anything about time without referencing some element or definition that we have created.

So, we are all familiar with the effects of time, but we have no clear understanding of what it actually is. And to further confuse us, science now merges time and physical dimensions into something they call “spacetime.”

Time is an element of our existence like gravity or light or the power of atomic structure. And like those other elements of our existence, we have little or no control over it. It is a force of nature that we must categorize as a tool of God’s design, a tool that is beyond our control and beyond our understanding.

When we describe events of the distant past, we might describe those events as having happened billions of years ago. But what if the earth orbited at a greater speed long ago. Now, that year becomes quicker by our definition, but the actual time that passes is unaffected. Or is it?

Perhaps time is one of those secrets that God keeps to Himself. And perhaps time is one of those things that will always separate us from God and contribute to our need to embrace a relationship with our God.

So, which church is right for you?

We cannot help but be impressed by many of the beautiful and ornate churches in the world. In an effort to celebrate and glorify God, these structures were created to the highest standards. Elsewhere, humble structures were constructed for the same purpose. Neither of these qualifies as a church.

We need to recognize that a church is a community – not a building. A church is a community of people who collectively believe in the same God, in the same way.

If we look at the variations in Christianity, we should conclude that the differences between churches are strictly man-made. Somewhere along the line, someone has made an interpretation of the Bible and convinced others that their interpretation is the correct one. That became the path that determined a particular church philosophy.

If we want to take it a step further back in time, we will find that the Bible itself is the result of a group of religious scholars who negotiated which ancient texts would become the official Bible.

Once we recognize that denominational differences are the result of human interpretations, it becomes clear that each denomination has elected to build their brand around specific Bible passages.

So, how does this help us decide which church is right for us?

It helps to become familiar with the bedrock principles of Christianity. Armed with that understanding, we can explore different churches to see which one we feel is built on that rock-solid foundation. We may also find which churches are distorting the basics or creating their own interpretation of the Bible to suit their pre-conceived philosophy or political ends.

We may find that certain churches are cherry-picking Bible passages to justify their viewpoint, or blatantly promoting misinterpretations.

Ultimately, we must each choose the community that we feel represents our personal beliefs. The most important aspect is that, whichever path we choose, the basic principles are the foundation. From that standpoint, all the rituals, all the traditions, and all the ceremonies are just window-dressing.

Whether we attend a celebrated, ornate cathedral, a simple country church, or a start-up congregation meeting in a vacant storefront, we must remember why we gather.

Matthew 18:20
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

One of the foundational principles of the U.S. government is the separation of church and state. The recent spread of a lethal virus has brought this concept into conflict. The debate over whether or not to allow gatherings in a church setting has blurred the lines between religious freedom, politics, and public health. All sides have legitimate concerns. All sides seem to have also neglected to apply logic and common sense.

From the news reports across the country, it appears that many in the role of church leadership have mistaken mass gatherings as a prerequisite for worship. Even more confusing is the extreme view that a building or structure is the “church.” What seems to be lost is the reality that a “church” is a community of believers – not a place.

^{Matthew  18:20  “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”}

If we step back from our narrow view and recognize the planet earth as the place where believers congregate, we might begin to comprehend that we don’t need to stand shoulder-to-shoulder to worship. We don’t need to defy civil authorities to practice our faith. We don’t need to ignore health professionals to pray to our God.

We don’t need to put others at risk to prove a point, or to demonstrate our dedication.

We need to remember that among God’s gifts to the human race is the intellectual capacity to exercise sound judgment. Also among His gifts is the ability to learn the science of His universe and use that knowledge to help each other.

Our church buildings may sit empty for a period, but perhaps it will allow us to contemplate and re-discover the true meaning of a “church.”

At any given moment, across the globe, millions may be engaged in prayer. Millions are gathered in Jesus’ name in the place of worship we call earth. The inability to gather in a particular place, in a particular structure, does not diminish the power of the community of believers.

^{Matthew  18:20  “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”}

That is the true meaning of a church.

In times of confusion and fear, sometimes it helps to step back and recognize the miracles that surround us every day. Some of those miracles have become so taken for granted, that we forget just how miraculous they are. If you are reading this text, you are unconsciously using one of those miracles.

We are talking about the miraculous phenomenon of magnetic fields.

Long before GPS satellites, explorers used a compass to navigate. A compass is an ancient instrument that responds to the earth’s magnetic field. And that invisible force field is critical to protecting the earth from the sun’s brutal solar wind. That is just one of the invisible, miraculous effects of magnetism that has only recently been revealed by modern science. Yet, that protectin has shielded us as long as mankind has existed on this earth.

We are all familiar with a common bar magnet with a positive pole on one end and a negative pole on the other. We are familiar with the concept that like poles repel and opposite poles attract. Perhaps, too, we have observed the school science demonstration with iron filings fanned out in a pattern that reveals the magnetic field around the end of that magnet.

What is less obvious to most of us is the impact magnetism has on our daily lives. The positive and negative charges that our simple magnet displays are more than mere curiosities, but a hint of the immense impact this effect has on our lives. The electricity that powers so much of our lives is fueled by that positive-negative dance that is familiar yet unnoticed and not fully appreciated.

The list of modern technology that is built upon the electronic phenomenon that began with simple magnetic properties is vast beyond belief, and keeps growing.

What is missing in our contemplation is “why.” We continue to discover how magnetism and polar opposite charges can be harnessed to our advantage, but we seldom consider why this phenomenon even exists. The deeper we delve into all the forces of nature that are in a balance that allows our existence, the more complex our understanding of our existence becomes. And yet, we seldom voice that ultimate question – “why.”

Perhaps the simplest answer is also the answer to many more of our questions. Perhaps the simplest answer is the anchor we need during the storms of crisis and despair.

It is, simply, the will of God.