The Image of God

When we imagine the image of God what do we see? Do we see the grey headed old man with a long white beard sitting on God’s heavenly throne? Or is our image vague, almost misty and in the shadows? God gives us plenty of images throughout Scripture. While God is still a mystery we encounter God in many ways, through many of our senses.

We encounter God in Scripture in the burning bush as a fire that burns but doesn’t consume. We encounter God with our sense of smell through the rising of incense and the sawdust of carpentry. We encounter God in the mud and straw used to make bricks. We see God in Trinity at the Oaks of Mamre.  We see God in the heavens as Abram looks up at the billions of stars. The list goes on for quite a while.

But the question is how do we encounter God with our senses in everyday life? Through sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste God is present in our lives. We see God in the homeless and rejected outcast under the bridge. We smell God through the springtime flowers and plants. We touch God when we hold a child’s hand. We hear God as the wind blows through the trees on a fall morning. We taste God in the Holy Eucharist, in the breaking of the bread and consumption of the wine. In other words, God is all around us in so many ways.

Quite often we encounter the image of God in the mirror. Not that we are God, but we are each (both male and female) made in the image of God. Therefore we are innately good. The image that stares back at us is touched and blessed by the love of God through Christ Jesus the Son. Thus we delve into the Incarnation.

God is part of all things created, for he made them all. While we don’t know God’s name, except for what God told Moses, I Am, we are assured that the Incarnate God has touched everything upon the earth and heavens. We are a part of God’s great creation and divine plan of the universe.

So take heart and know that God surrounds us. God is not some aloof deity that sits on a throne and casts life into motion only to ignore it. God is active and ever changing, a part of all things and in all things, including each of us.