Devotion - Wednesday, March 15

John 5:18 contains a thought which had not previously registered to me.  In the translation used by my devotional guide, it reads:  "This is why the Jews sought all the more to kill (Jesus), because he not only broke the sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God."

First - let's be careful not to identify "the Jews" in this verse with who share the Jewish faith - it really is a reference to the religious leaders of Jesus' day.  Religious leaders tend to take on many of the same traits, in every age and even across religious identities.  They (we) tend to want to hold to the traditions and customs embedded in religious practice.

But I do want to speak of the offence committed by Jesus in calling God "Father."  To do so, implied he thought of himself as "equal with God."

Each time we gather for worship, we pray together "Our Father......"  This way of referring to God was a bold statement of how Jesus wanted his followers to see God - and see themselves.  Let's not loose perspective on how shattering such a vision (such a self vision) really is.

I will remind you in other writings that God is God and we are not.  This is certainly true.  But what is also true is this insistence that Jesus has altered this divide and made it less of a reason for fear.  The child is not the parent, and never will be.  But the child is loved by the parent and the parent's aim is to aid the child in become more like the parent.

As you pray this day, make use of the Our Father.  And consider how this simple address informs and directs our interactions with God.