Do we think God always loves us, or only when we do the right things? Claire Lynch looks at how easy it can be to start believing that our worth is somehow linked to our performance in life, and how differently Jesus describes God’s remarkable, overflowing love for us. Will we let God love us like that?
What is hell, and where have we got our ideas about this from? Claire Lynch looks at the stories and images in the Bible that relate to this, and how people in the Bible, including Jesus, communicated by referring to concepts that were meaningful and resonant with their audience. These included ideas drawn from Hebrew and neighbouring cultures, and were quite different from the imagery which became common to describe hell much later in western culture. Could the ideas of eternal, conscious torment and separation from God be based on misunderstandings or misapplications of the Bible? If so, what can we learn from the Bible, its prophecies, teachings and the words of Jesus to give us a better understanding of what God might do with us when we die?
Continuing from part 1. Jesus died on the cross and rose again, but why? Can the way this makes a difference to people be summed up in one simple, shareable idea? Claire Lynch continues her talk about the different ways this is described in the Bible, and why focusing on only one of them can distort our views of God and each other. The ideas of sacrifice and covenant are rich in meaning and hard to grasp in full, but can growing our understanding of them help to grow our sense of God’s love for us and what God wants to do with us?
Good news - Jesus’ life, death and resurrection helps us to restore good relationships with God - but how does this work? Claire Lynch looks at different ways of explaining this which emphasise different parts of the Bible and might serve as helpful pictures or analogies. But it’s also possible that too much stress or reliance on one picture will distort our view of God and his character. Can we gain something from these pictures while also keeping our eyes on Jesus to understand what God is really like?
What does it mean to have a relationship with God, and what should we expect from one? Claire Lynch looks at the way mistaken ideas about someone’s character can misshape our relationship with them, and how important it can be to learn what someone is really like through an authentic relationship. God made us in his image, giving us the capacity for relating to him, as well as reflecting his character and representing this in our relationships with people. What aspects of God’s character would you most like to show more in your life?
How did the idea that God is angry with people become widespread, and is it true? Claire Lynch looks at some of the ways in history that people have formed a view of God, in many ways shaped by developing understandings of themselves. Pictures of God’s wrath seem easy to find in the Old Testament, but was there also something bigger, stronger and longer lasting being revealed? Jesus and the New Testament can make God look very different. Is this a change in God’s nature, or more of a fulfilment and completion of a picture we can now understand by following Jesus?
Do we think God always loves us, or only when we do the right things? Claire Lynch looks at how easy it can be to start believing that our worth is somehow linked to our performance in life, and how differently Jesus describes God’s remarkable, overflowing love for us. Will we let God love us like that?
What do we tell ourselves and each other about why we think a good God lets bad things happen? Claire Lynch looks at this from different angles, including beliefs that God is in control, gives us responsibility, or has ways to turn suffering into lasting goodness. How much of this can we understand better through Jesus, his participation in suffering and his promises to remain with us through all of our experiences? The talk concludes with a meditative time for remembering Jesus through the Lord’s Supper or personal prayer.
What is God like? Can we really trust that he is good? Claire Lynch looks at some difficult situations which would make us question this and how Jesus’ love and faithfulness might start to provide answers. Looking at the relationship Jesus led followers to cultivate with Father God, could this provide a context for us to learn God’s character? And instead of simply telling ourselves to believe that God is good, what would happen if we began a list of things that make life wonderful that we’d like to thank him for?
What kind of King is God? Claire Lynch asks if God really gives us free will or tries to manipulate and force us to obey, and punish us if we don't. If we can tell what God is like by looking at Jesus, his version of being a King seemed unexpected - instead of dominating by force, he emptied himself out in self-giving love and radical servanthood. Do we also carry this image of God in us? What does it mean for our lives if we embrace that, or if we don't? This talk concludes with a Lectio Divina meditation on Philippians 2:5-11.
What shapes your image of God? Claire Lynch looks at different ways people see God and how looking at Jesus can be a way to understand God. This was a surprising challenge to religious leaders in Jesus’ time, and Jesus told a famous story about God’s love and fatherhood which was a shocking contrast with what many expected. Could meeting the extravagantly loving and scandalously forgiving Father Jesus spoke about change your view of God?
What is God like, and how can we know? Claire Lynch starts a series of talks looking at this through experiences and shared stories, including a story Jesus shared about people entrusted with resources and asked to make the most of them. What would happen if they responded in kind with trust and faith, and what would happen if they didn't? Can we see these different ways of life in us, and could choosing to live with more trust and faith bring us closer to knowing God?
