Sermonizing

Maybe I mentioned here before that I am filling in for the pastor at our evangelical church this coming Sunday, while he's on vacation. Brave fellow, that one, to turn his pulpit (or I should say.. barstool) over to a raw, unskilled pew-sitter (or I should say.. stacking-chair-sitter) like me.

Perhaps he thinks that because I'm enrolled in seminary at a quasi-reputable local institution, and because this sermon is counting as credit for a research paper in my summer school class, that I will be a safe guy to fill his spot. Hahahahaha. Little does HE know..

No, really. I'll be fine. Actually, I'm asking more questions than I am giving answers. Questions such as:

Does God change? If not His nature, then His plans? Does He adjust them to us? And if so, does that mean He is affected by us, or is He impervious to our actions, unaffected? Can we reject God’s love for us, turn our back and walk away from Him? If we can, does that mean that God’s plans can be thwarted? Are His plans contingent on us, dependent on us? Can God even BE dependent? If God wants a relationship with us that is filled with love… doesn't relationship by definition imply mutuality? And if love is to be truly mutual, doesn’t it have to be voluntary, not coerced? And voluntary means freely reciprocated, right? Because if not freely reciprocated, is it truly love between persons (an "I-you" relationship), or is it more of an "I-it" relationship (like loving a stuffed animal, who has no choice in the matter)? If love must be freely reciprocated to be mutual, must not the Beloved also have the freedom to reject the Lover and walk away? Doesn’t that entail risk? Does God take risks in loving us? Does He risk our rejection of Him? Can His love go unrequited? Can His plans for loving relationship be thwarted? If so, is God truly omnipotent?

Woah. Tough questions.

And my answer is basically... sure, no problem! Easy.

How I get there, though.. that's the hard part. ;)