"'Higgledy Piggledy, woman and man,' she said, clapping her hands. 'Is God either one of them, think you? Neither if you ask me. Or both. To my way of thinking god's more like the sun for the sun both brings forth like a mother and pierces deep like a father. Yet it's greater than either, look you, the way it draws all creatures under Heaven to its blessed light without raising so much as a thumb.'"(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" pp.75-76)
What is God like? I've certainly heard many descriptions. We get most of our primary information from the Bible, which has an abundance of descriptions, as well as the main caveat, "no one has ever seen God." Of course what the biblical writers were really describing was much more of an experience of the presence of God. Some of those descriptions still work, others are harder for our 21st century minds to wrap around.
Perhaps this is why our descriptive language for God seems to always be expanding and evolving. I also think it true that our own descriptions change as our life circumstances change, and this can happen almost daily.
The sun image isn't a bad one actually. A sense of drawing people near. Most of us love the sun. And on a dreary day like today happens to be (March 22, 2011), the sun breaking through would be most welcome on all kinds of levels.
Blessings,
Ed
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