BLOGGING TOWARD SUNDAY…

One of my favorite authors is a Roman Catholic priest, Father Andrew Greeley. In one of his books, one titled The God Game, he tells the story of an understanding, intelligent, and loving young man who is trying out a new computer game called “Dukes and Duchesses.” In the middle of the game, a lightning bolt strikes his satellite dish, and something incredible happens. Suddenly there are real people fighting, living, and loving on the screen. And they firmly believe that he is God.

As his love for the people of that world grows, as his feeling of responsibility for them grows stronger and stronger, he struggles to end their fighting with each other. He wants to bring peace to their earth. He, their God, has fallen in love with the people in his care. And they, in return, love him. But the point of the story is that this “God” has no miraculous powers to bring about what he wants for his people. He has only love to help him. And so he learns to play God, and he learns some interesting lessons along the way.

My point is that all of us are to be engaged in the business of playing God. Now I don’t mean that in the sense of trying to manipulate other people, or trying to call the shots for someone else. I mean that we are to “be God,” in a sense, to our neighbors. Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, no longer walks this earth. A song from forty years ago had as its first line: “Christ has no hands but our hands to do his work today.” And although I have forgotten the rest of the song, I remember that it went on to say that WE, YOU AND I, are to be not only his hands, but also his feet, his ears, his eyes…for the only way he has now of expressing his love and concern is through his people, people who are motivated to love because they have given themselves to God, people whose only weapon is love.

Filed under: Blogging Toward Sunday