I visited a church not too long ago that had just celebrated the blessing of an immense mosaic of the Holy Trinity created for the interior dome of their church. An expensive wonder-less copy of a tired image: God as the old white man with the long white hair and beard, seated on a decorated throne, holding a green ball. Around the throne were two dozen angels and saints (fifteen of whom were popes, nuns or priests,) and one married man without his wife. I imagine the meeting to discuss what the image should look like took about twelve minutes. I left feeling disappointment at the loss of spiritual opportunity. The invitation to reflect upon God had been reduced to an execution of bad decoration.
What's happened to awe? What's happened to wonder? What's happened to pondering silence? Mary is the first disciple, so aren't we supposed to be the people who are like her? "But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart." Luke 2:19
Since then I learned that Muslims have the practice of reciting the 99 names of God. These are a word-list celebrating or announcing the attributes of God. Attributes are a person's qualities or characteristics. I imagine there are 99 and not 100 as 100 would suggest the naming was complete. God in no way is to be completed, summarized, utterly defined. Without exploring the 99 names (because I didn't want to duplicate or mimic what someone else composed), I chose to create my own.
I invite you to add to this list or put it aside altogether and wonder into existence your own. But might I suggest, do not use religious language that you've learned over the years: God is omniscient, omnipresent, all powerful, glorious, salvific, holy..." These words are not wrong, but they are someone else's words we were simply expected to learn and repeat endlessly — like the picture of the old man God. We often use these words and images without ever having thought about their meaning. Come up with your own announcing of God's attributes, born of your own life lived with God in Christ.
God, who
creates by breath,
by a heartbeat,
who is all imagination,
life-giver,
all loveliness,
all joy,
who is shared word,
the good
the tender,
who delights.
God who
gathers,
includes,
enkindles,
welcomes,
searches out,
who greens and grows us,
is kind,
accepting,
challenges,
changes us.
God who
comes as light,
dispels darkness,
expands us,
comforts,
is gentle,
strong,
weeps with us,
laughs with us,
is present in silence,
is friend to us.
God who
is present at my awaking,
gives the nighttime,
surprises us in nature,
redirects us,
who may shock us,
who is beyond our thoughts,
escapes our limitations,
is not so small,
who understands our folly,
is hidden, so we search beyond ourselves.
God who
salvages,
is lover of us,
can be sudden,
who is highest-deepest,
carries our awful errors,
whose vision exceeds ours,
who hears,
commissions,
initiates,
is inner unity.
God who
is our only hope,
unsleeping,
who consoles trembling hearts,
is present at our departing,
whose hallowed ground is everywhere,
who lights and guards,
holds us in divine hands,
is rightly thanked,
is praised in our singing,
who blazes and burns.
God who
isn't endlessly disappointed with us,
isn't in a bad mood,
who is giver,
peaceable,
healer,
reconciler,
maternally anxious for us,
longs for us,
is committed to us,
is no loser.
God who
has a face like our own,
touches us,
walks with us,
knows I exist,
cares that I exist,
feels for and with us,
shares everything with us,
summons us to authentic life,
cleans hearts,
understands our vulnerability.
God who
is of the heart,
always free,
who loves when we can't,
the littlest and least,
of angels and us,
saints and sinners,
a foundation,
a new inner land,
a safe hiding place,
hopes for the evil-doer.
God who
is wondrous in beauty,
like flame,
bright shining,
beyond the beyond,
like covering wings,
protector,
in the simplicity of bread,
stranger to our punitive ways,
who smiles.
