The God we believe in

The following was a devotion that Amy Coles, our District Superintendent shared with us today:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to
proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year
of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:17-19)
As a part of the New District Superintendent and Director of Connectional Ministries Orientation
that I’ve been attending this week, we used the following Affirmation of Faith:
I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE GOD of the magistrates
nor in the god of the generals or of patriotic oratory.
I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE GOD of
gloomy hymns and vacuous sermons
nor in the god of courtrooms or
of preambles and epilogues to eloquent speeches.
I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE GOD of good fortune of the rich
nor in the god of fear of the wealthy
nor in the god of happiness of those who rob the people.
I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE GOD made
in the image and likeness of the powerful
nor in the god invented as a sedative
for the misery and suffering of the poor.
I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE GOD who
sleeps within church walls
or lies hidden in church safes.
I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE GOD made out of lies
as fragile as clay pots
nor in the god of the established order
which rests on disorder
and acquiesces in it.
THE GOD I BELIEVE IN
put human beings before law
and love in place of old traditions.
He had no stone on which to lay his head
and mixed with the poor.
He appeared before judges
who tried to find him guilty.
He was seen with the police as a prisoner.
He entered the governor’s palace to be flogged.
His tunic was woven entirely of blood.
He had escorts to clear his way before him to Calvary,
where he died, between thieves,
on the cross.
THE GOD I BELIEVE IN
is no other than
the son of Mary,
Jesus of Nazareth.
Every day he dies crucified by our selfish acts.
Every day he rises from death by the power of love.
[Fred Betto (Brazil) in Em Tue Gracia (Geneva: World Council of Churches, 2006), 131-133]
To complete the affirmation, we were invited to complete this affirmation of our faith:
THE GOD I BELIEVE IN calls us to …
What would you say? Some of my thoughts included,
See and treat all people as beloved children of God;
Work for justice and peace for all;
Be in ministry WITH the least, the last, the lost;
Share the Good News in words and actions every moment of ever day;
Follow Jesus, Make Disciples, and Transform the World.