THE GREAT I AM

In the Old Testament (Exodus 3:14 to be exact), God’s name is given as YHWH which has been linked to the Hebrew verb “to be” (“hayah” 1). Often, this is translated into English as “I am Who I am” (Exodus 3:14 NRSV). God’s name is said to be “I Am” (Exodus 3:14 NRSV).
Let’s think about that for a moment. The Holy One’s name is “I AM.” The English verb to be is conjugated as follows: I am, you are, she/he/it is, we are, they are. I look at God’s name in this way: God does not have; rather, God is.
We often think of God as an elderly, wise man who sits on a throne in the clouds and gives orders. In short, we imagine God as Zeus from Disney’s Hercules. So, we often think of God as having things: wisdom, power, a plan for our lives.
I propose that we think in this way: God does not have, but rather is. Therefore, God does not have infinite wisdom, but is infinite wisdom; that is to say, God is indistinguishable from wisdom. In the same way, God does not have power, but God is power. Likewise, God does not have a plan for our lives, but God is a plan for our lives. Take a moment to ponder this.
I have a very visual imagination so I personify this concept in the following way. I imagine zooming out into space, past planets and suns, but able, now, to see something that I never have before, the presence of God. I see Our Parent woven into the very fabric of the universe. God is not within the universe, nor does God control (or ‘have’) the universe, but God is the universe.
This visualization is meant to allow us to look at God in a new way. To redefine the Holy. For, if God is all and all is God, what is beyond God? Even though you walk “through the darkest valley” (Psalm 23) there is no need to fear, for God is that valley, and, though terrible things may befall, God’s eternal love is as present in that valley as in the comfort of our home or church.
This new vision forces us to see others in a new way as well. God is all, including all people. So, each person, no matter how vain, arrogant, or violent is part of God. Each person is to be given the respect that we owe to God herself. Jesus said “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who were members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). So, in all relationship, we know that God is present. Even if it is hard to see, even if that person shows no signs, all are of God. Nobody is so evil as to not be a part of God. Though they may not reflect God in their lives, they are still a part of God, they are still loved by the Holy One.
This vision of the great I AM calls us to a new direction. A new focus. All space is Holy: the prairie fields, the mountains, the rock-strewn hills, the classroom desks. God is all encompassing. Likewise, we are part of God. We do not leave God at the door of the church. No, we are always with God. So, in that spirit, let us be ambassadors for God, showing the love that Jesus embodied to all of Creation. Let us remember God in our days, and celebrate, quietly or loudly, in movement or in stillness, the wonder of creation and the Holiness of all that is.
-Charley Peters