By: Hylton Gudmanz
Have you ever misplaced your passport or Identity Card? It can mean the difference between travelling internationally and staying home, and it only works if it’s legitimate and still valid, with our citizenship confirmed.
I remember missing my card one day and frantically searching the house, only to find it hidden under the Bible I read from in the mornings. I clearly hadn’t used it for a few days, embarrassingly. It felt like a picture of my identity being wrapped up in God and His Word, but my busyness of the past week had ignored this, to the potential loss of identity. I had survived on scraps from His table (pushed content from my Bible app, prayer and some worship music, perhaps), yet a feast was on offer. His Good News and perspective are always worth enjoying.
In Matthew 3:17 (and again in Matthew 17:5), we encounter the audible voice of the Father speaking, first at Jesus’s baptism and later at what many call the Transfiguration. The words are powerful: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (ESV). This echoes Isaiah 42:1 “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” (ESV)
1. Sonship: Delving into the powerful message, the original words (Greek) shed even more light. “Son” [huios in Greek] is a human descendant – one with full access to “kin”, as well as the protection and resources of the family we are part of. There is also a sense of having the likeness of the Father.
2. Love: This theme seems to be everywhere in Scripture…and it makes sense, since God “is Love” (1 John 4:8). “Beloved” [agapetos in Greek] is not friendship or romantic love, but rather a personal experience of divine, unconditional love that sacrifices and is always for us, not against us.
3. Hope and Favour: “Well pleased” [eudokeo in the Greek] is to be well thought-of, carrying a great reputation, as well as to be enjoyed and chosen gladly as a companion. The surfers amongst us might say, “I am stoked with him”. There’s a sense of trust, of valuing what that person represents and inviting them, on fresh adventures together.
The Father spoke these words over Jesus, and He speaks them over us, if we are his children – those who have believed His Word in our hearts and professed our allegiance with our mouths. It’s such a wonderful truth, that we are co-heirs with Christ and share in His inheritance (Romans 8:17), even if it won’t always be easy, and we get to share in suffering, too. We can come boldly to our Father, knowing that He is always willing to listen, and we don’t need to “earn” His favour.
Did you know that psychology echoes some of these thoughts, too? Dr. Aaron Beck’s Cognitive Triad tells us that worth, hope and a caring community keep us out of a downward spiral (replacing feelings that we are worth less, there is less hope, and that people don’t care: easy beliefs to adopt after tragic events). The System Psychodynamic framework on well-being (phew, what a name) also found that “identity”, “hope” and “love” are the cornerstones of well-being. Wow! Great research lines up with how God encourages us to live!
4. Response: Have you taken time to consider where you are getting your sense of identity and belonging from? God wants to know us, to walk with us like He did with Moses, or Eve. His family comes with a powerful experience of love – from his side it keeps coming. If we feel far away, it’s not Him who moved. There might be beliefs, busyness or bitterness blocking us. And they don’t need to. God set us free to remain free and experience the life of the Spirit.
Challenges can be worked out well in a community of love, which is what the Church intends to be [ekklesia in Greek refers to those ‘called out’ of home to meet]. While still imperfect humans, we can be kin – the family of God who walk together, challenge each other to go further and support each other in the tough times. Our family has been so blessed and encouraged by the Venture community and are grateful to be able to give back in some form.
Lastly, our hope Is secure when looking to Jesus (Colossians 3:1) for direction, knowing that the Spirit is our guarantee of our inheritance as a child of his (2 Cor. 5:5) and that no-one can snatch us out of His hands (John 10:28). With this confidence, we can share our hope with others. Our world needs connection and love, hope that is real and an identity beyond what our earthly family can provide, with the resources of heaven available to help us overcome.
Knowing who we are (and where our home truly is) brings hope, not just for this life, and connects us to family stronger than blood ties…all over this world.
Now that’s what I call a powerful passport.