It’s easy to get mad at God. If you believe there is a Higher Power out there, there are certainly

times when some of us would like that Higher Power to get involved more actively and more visibly to

achieve things like, say, World Peace more quickly, like TODAY. The thing is, God doesn’t usually get so

interfering and bossy; after all, we’re adults, right? Can’t we do the right things with the guidance God

has already given, without God acting the enforcer?

If you’ve had a toddler or a teenager, you will know that sometimes they get mad at you when

you are just trying to keep them safe and within societal limits, for the good of everyone. However,

when we grow up, the idea is that we will be able to govern ourselves, with Mommy or Daddy acting as

counselors rather than police! Plenty of people in the Bible got angry with God, saying some pretty hot

things. Others just couldn’t understand the way things were going, so questioned God’s actions very

strongly. It’s okay. God can take it. Calm down. Calmese.

There are stories in ancient times of people negotiating with God: Abraham, Moses, and Job all

experienced times of confusion over what seemed to be happening in their lives and in their world. They

said “Okay, you’ve told us that such-and-such is going to happen, but that’s too much! How about this

instead?” And funny enough, God often went with that.

While we like to think of God as unchangeable; what is it that doesn’t change? Perhaps it’s

God’s love, or patience, or ability to alter based on our choices, or God’s mercy, forgiveness or flexibility.

After all, we don’t know the end from the beginning – our viewpoints are very small, so go ahead and

get mad at God! Let’s make a deal! We need an intervention here! Show us the way! And God will; just

listen up, be patient, and love one another.

Everyone is welcome at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church: Sunday service at 10 a.m. and coffee hour

afterwards.