Meeting “Papa” – God the Father

1. In chapter 5, entitled “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” Mack (on his way to his meeting with “Papa” at the shack) tells his friend Willie, “ I’ve always sort of pictured him (God) as a really big grandpa with a long white flowing beard, sort of like Gandalf in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings” (p.73). When he finally meets God the Father, he’s represented by a large beaming African American woman named “Elousia.”
Q. We’ve all formed a visual representation of God in our minds. If you were given the opportunity to meet him in person, what would you expect to see? What shapes your perception?
Q. One way our understanding of God is shaped is by our relationship with our earthly father. Papa notes this with Mack, who had a terrible relationship with his own dad. “Hasn’t it always been a problem for you to embrace me as your father? … You couldn’t very well handle a father right now, could you?” (pg.93)
Q. Mack’s first impression of Papa includes the fragrance of his mother’s perfume. In his, and the author’s experience, his mother had been a more accurate reflection of God’s nature. “Meanwhile this woman stood there with her arms outstretched as if they were the very arms of his mother. He felt the presence of love. It was warm, inviting, melting.” (pg. 83)
“As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were … like a mother feeding and caring for her own children. We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.” (1 Thess. 2:7-8)
2. “’Elousia,’ the voice (Jesus) spoke reverently…, ‘That is a wonderful name. El is my name as Creator God, but ousia is ‘being’ or ‘that which is truly real,’ so the name means the Creator God who is truly real and the ground of all being. Now that is a beautiful name.’” (pg.111)
Q. What are some names for God in the Bible?
Elohim: means ‘strong one’ is a plural form of God’s name and intimates the trinity.
El Shaddai: ‘God Almighty’ the one who lovingly supplies our needs .
El Elyon: ‘The Most High God’ stresses his strength an sovereignty.
El Olam: ‘The Everlasting God’ who is unchangeable and inexhaustible.
Yahweh: ‘The Lord will provide.
Yahweh Nissi: ‘The Lord is my Banner, rallying point, and means of victory.
Yahweh Shalom: “The Lord is Peace.
Yahweh Sabbaoth: ‘the Lord of Hosts – a military picture of the Lord as commander of the armies of heaven.
Yahweh Maccaddeshcem: ‘The Lord our Sanctifier – our means of righteousness.
Yahweh Ro’i: ‘The Lord is my Shepherd.’
Yahwey Tsidkenu: ‘The Lord our Righeousness.’
Yahweh Shammah: ‘The Lord is there.’
Yahweh Elohim Israel: “The Lord, the God of Israel.”
(see http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=220)
3. “How should he address him? Should he call him Father, or Almighty One, or perhaps Mr. God, and would it be best if he fell down and worshipped, not that he was really in the mood.” (pg.82)

Q. On one extreme, there are believers who are very formal and respectful when they address God. Their first impulse when they think about God is reverential fear. On the other extreme there are believers who approach God in a very casual way. The speak of God as if he was their good friend. Where are you on this continuum? Why? Can you think of any passages of Scripture to support your answer?
4. “She (Papa) crossed the distance between them and engulfed him in her arms, lifting him clear off his feet and spinning him around like a little child. And all the while she was shouting his name – ‘Mackenzie Allen Phillips’ – with the ardor of someone seeing a long-lost and deeply-loved relative.” (pg. 82)

Q. According to the Bible, (Romans 14:10) we will all have our meeting with God. Do you imagine it like the author, as a joyful embrace (see Luke 15:20) or like the Apostle John who wrote, "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead." (Revelation 1:17)? Why?
5. “I have really been looking forward to seeing you face to face. It is so wonderful to have you here with us. My, my, my, how I do love you!” (pg. 83)

Q. The author bases his description of Mack’s meeting with God on the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. Compare this Why do you think the God of the Old Testament seems so harsh and scary compared with the God of the New Testament who seems so loving and compassionate? (see Hebrews 12:18-24)
6. “’Isn’t she great!’ exclaimed Jesus, grinning at Mack. Mack turned and faced him, shaking his head. ‘Am I going crazy? Am I supposed to believe that God is a big black woman with a questionable sense of humor?’ Jesus laughed. ‘She’s a riot! You can always count on her to throw you a curve or two. She loves surprises, and even though you might not think it, her timing is always perfect.’” (pg. 88-89)

“’Mackenzie, I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived from my nature. If I choose to appear to you as a man or a woman, it’s because I love you. For me to appear to you as a woman and suggest that you call me Papa is simply to mix metaphors, to help you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning. To reveal myself to you as a very large, white grandfather figure with flowing beard, like Gandalf, would simply reinforce your religious stereotypes…’” (pg. 93)

“’Why is there such an emphasis on you being a Father? I mean, it seems to be the way you most reveal yourself.’ ‘Well,’ responded Papa …, ‘there are many reasons for that, and some of them go very deep. Let me say for now that we knew once the Creation was broken, true fathering would be much more lacking than mothering. Don’t misunderstand me, both are needed – but and emphasis on fathering is necessary because of the enormity of its absence.” (pg. 94)

Q. “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) Does this passage mean that part of God’s image is female? Jesus said to the woman at the well, “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) Does a spirit have gender? If God is ‘genderless,’ why do you think he is portrayed in the Bible as ‘Father’ and referred to as ‘He’? What do you think of the author’s reasoning that God chose to reveal himself as father because “true fathering would be much more lacking than mothering” and males need God as a role model?

Q. Do you think God has a sense of humor? Why or why not? The Bible says, “The One enthroned in heaven laughs.” (Psalm 2:4) God created us in his image including our emotions.
7. “’So God listens to funk?’ Mack had never heard ‘funk’ talked about in any properly religious terms. ‘I thought you would be listening to George Beverly Shea or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir – you know, something churchier.’” (pg. 90)

Q. Does God have musical preferences? Does he like ‘churchy’ music? In a time of great joy, David “danced before the LORD with all his might.” His wife, Michal, criticized him for his behavior because she thought his worship was undignified – especially for a king. God punished her for this. (2 Samuel 6:12-23)

The Psalmist tells us to, “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” (33:3) The last Psalm says, “Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.” (Psalm 150:3-5)
8. “’If you couldn’t take care of Missy, how can I trust you to take care of me?’ There, he’d said it – the question that had tormented him every day of The Great Sadness. Mack … realized his hands were knotted into fists. ‘Mack, I’m so sorry.’ Tears began to trail down her cheeks. I know what a great gulf this has put between us. I know you don’t understand this yet, but I am especially fond of Missy, and you too. That’s why you’re here, Mack,’ she continued. ‘I want to heal the wound that has grown inside of you, and between us.’” (pg. 92)

Q. Most of us pray regularly for safety when we travel or the protection of family and friends. Can God be trusted to keep us, and our loved ones, safe? The Apostle Peter wrote, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7) “And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation.” (1 Peter 1:5) In Job 1:10, Satan refers to “a wall of protection” which was placed there by God to keep Job’s family and property safe. But, as you know, this was later removed for God’s purposes.

Q. When we suffer tragedies, is it appropriate to blame God? Why or why not? After Job lost his family and possessions, he “tore his robe in grief” and said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” Then the author of Job ads these words, “In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.” (Job 1:20-22)

Q. Couldn’t God have prevented the tragic situation? If so, isn’t he responsible for the outcome? Jesus’ friend Lazarus was very sick, but Jesus didn’t go to heal him. He arrived after Lazarus had died. His sister Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Later, Jesus said, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” Then he raised Lazarus from the dead. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28)
9. “’How can you really know how I feel?’ Mack asked, looking back into her eyes. Papa didn’t answer, only looked down at their hands. His gaze followed hers and for the first time Mack noticed the scars in her wrists, like those he now assumed Jesus also had on his. She allowed him to tenderly touch the scars, outlines of a deep piercing, and he finally looked up again into her face. Tears were slowly making their way down her face. ‘Don’t ever think that what my son chose to do didn’t cost us dearly. Love always leaves a significant mark,’ she stated softly and gently. ‘We were there together.’ Mack was surprised. ‘At the cross? Now wait, I thought you left him – you know – ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ It was a Scripture that often haunted Mack in The Great Sadness. ‘You misunderstand the mystery there. Regardless of what he felt at that moment, I never left him.’”

Q. Did God actually abandon Jesus on the cross, or did Jesus just ‘feel’ abandoned? “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi,[a] lama sabachthani?’—which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Matthew 27:46) God strengthened Jesus before the cross, in the Garden of Gethsemene (Luke 22:43). And as Jesus died, he said, “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) So, the Father was present before and after Jesus’ suffering. Some teach that God had to hide his face from Jesus when he “became sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21) because his holy nature can’t look on sin. But how can the God of the trinity – one God in three persons – separate from himself?
10. “’I’m not like you Mack. I am God. I am who I am. And unlike you, my wings can’t be clipped. …’I am what some would say holy, and wholly other than you. The problem is that many folks try to grasp some sense of who I am by taking the best version of themselves, projecting that to the nth degree, factoring in all the goodness they can perceive, which often isn’t much, and then call that God. And while it may seem like a noble effort, the truth is that it falls pitifully short of who I really am. I’m not merely the best version of you that you can think of. I am far more than that, above and beyond all that you can ask or think.’” (pg. 98)

Q. Do you think we recreate God in our image? If so, why do humans do this? God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Q. If our view of God is distorted by our human perspective, as the author claims, how can we get a more accurate view of who God really is?
11. “’Do you ever get mad at any of them (people)?’
‘What parent doesn’t? There is a lot to be mad about in the mess my kids have made and in the mess they’re in. I don’t like a lot of choices they make, but that anger – especially for me – is an expression of love all the same. I love the ones I am angry with just as much as those I’m not.
‘But,’ Mack paused. ‘What about our wrath? It seems to me that if you’re going to pretend to be God Almighty, you need to be a lot angrier.’
‘Do I now?’
‘That’s what I’d think. Weren’t you always running around killing people in the Bible? You just don’t seem to fit the bill.’
‘I am not who you think I am, Mackenzie. I don’t need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It’s not my purpose to punish it; it’s my joy to cure it.’” (pg. 119-120)

Q. Is God angry at humanity?
“But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (Romans 1:18-20)

Referring the rebellion of Israel in the desert, God said, “I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.'” (Hebrews 3:10)

“For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry, for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me—the breath of man that I have created. I was enraged by his sinful greed; I punished him, and hid my face in anger, yet he kept on in his willful ways. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him, creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel. Peace, peace, to those far and near,’ says the LORD. ‘And I will heal them.’” (Isaiah 57:15-19)

Q. In the book God says, “It’s not my purpose to punish it (sin); it’s my joy to cure it.” Is God a reluctant judge?

“’Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?’ declares the Sovereign LORD. ‘Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone,’ declares the Sovereign LORD. ‘Repent and live!’” (Ezekiel 18: 23,32)