If God is everywhere why don't we keep bumping into him?

 My six year old grandson, currently undergoing chemotherapy, dropped by for a play time allowing mum and dad to get some jobs done. My daughter said "well you can answer all his questions" not least of which was "If God is everywhere why don't we keep bumping into him?"

Good question and thankfully he wanted to play and not talk theology!!!!

But it is a good question and one that should be addressed.

My internal reaction is how do I explain that we do. I'm reminded of the Celtic blessing which speaks of encountering God/Christ in the strangers guise. This is a big ask. Jesus in his teachings and story telling, and not least in his actions revealed we need to have the eyes of a gracious God that we might truly see the other. To see someone like ourselves loved by our creator, and to allow the filters of prejudice fall away. Perhaps it's why we so often refer to Christ as the light of the world who reveals reality about others and uncomfortably ourselves. 

I sat at the hairdressers one afternoon in our local Morrisons, I could see in the mirror all those coming into the store and what a mix of people came through. Their wealth or lack of it reflected in their clothing. The tiredness of living etched upon many faces, and the movement of bodies some with and others with out a walking aid. So many different lives and who knows what they do or do not believe. Yet in this diversity God invites us to look beyond the immediate that so often reflects our own prejudices. Each of those lives are unique. All have their roots in the self giving of God in Love that brings us all into existence. Perhaps if I hadn't been having my hair cut and I just stopped to listen and chat with some of these people I might well have encountered God.

So bumping into God is something about looking in a different and non judgmental way, which as I write I know is a big ask. While the terminology of the Kingdom of God is outdated for us, and as such, means we often miss out on its sharp life changing revolutionary way, which in Jesus' own day was not missed. We however still need to grapple with its meaning so it can be reinterpreted for today. Brian Mclaren one of my favourite writers offers many insights to this, not least using the phrase 'Dream of God' to replace Kingdom.  So it could be the dream of God is for a united humanity, where true sharing takes place, as we all recognise our interconnectedness and need of the other. With it comes the need to call out the economic failure of our world systems which consume the planet unsustainably and allows vast numbers to live in poverty. But sometimes that dream reveals itself in others.

I have been wowed by the nurses who have treated our grandson with such compassion and patience.

Thankful for the common sense of the district nurse who calls into his home to give the feared injection, change a dressing and take bloods while giving mum real encouragement. 

The generosity of friends allowing us to park on their drive way near the hospital that makes the going backwards and forwards easier. 

Amazed by the generosity of a small village community who have rallied round to raise funds to enable him to have special treats to keep him going.

Or just the love and care of his own primary school staff and pupils that allows him to be there when he can.

Oh we bump into God all the time if we just have eyes to see, and ears to hear, and a realisation that the dream of God is still unfolding and if we chose it can be our dream too.