who am i? who are we?

the question of identity shapes our perception and our understanding of this world, our place in it and our relationship with god.

last night dallas shared with us the story of the nation of israel as they struggled with national identity and various crises of faith.

from abram's destined journey from ur to the overly-confident dream weaver joseph's trip to egypt to the wanderings of the people in the desert to the arrival in the promised land to the subsequent babylonian captivity to the return of the people of god to their land under the persian king, cyrus. all stages had their struggles and all parts contributed to the journey of israel's understanding of what it means to be the children of god.

dallas had us break into groups and talk about times when our own identity was shaken. here are some of the answers:

loss of job

media's influence over our body image

crisis of faith

death

illness

rumours

bullying

family dynamics

each one contributes to new questions about our identity. each one challenges the pre-conceived notions we have about ourselves. each one forces us to look at the box we put ourselves, and others, in and rebuild it.

as israel struggled with bondage and captivity and infidelity towards god and even whether or not to build a temple they were learning who god was [and is] as well as who they were called to be.

at the end of the night dallas held up the large poster board with all our situations and identity-influencing factors written on it, opened a can of paint, and covered them with a cross.

identity: it is not about those things, it is about seeing that god became flesh and blood and dwelt among us to show that we are not to build temples to god but we are to be temples to god.

identity: it is not about what others say about you but understanding what god has already said about you: 'while you were still screwed up and not even looking for god, in fact, while you were actively opposing him, god died for you so that you may come to know him. you did not choose him, he chose you.'

'nuff said? easier said than done!

thanks dallas for a good lesson that needed to be said.