Nougat 4

Hi there

There is an Adinkra symbol from the Ghanaian peoples that has fascinated m ever since I met it. Gye nyame which means ‘except God’ also speaks to God’s supremacy. In one sense, it takes me to Genesis 1:1A; ‘In the beginning God …’ for without God where would we be? Today’s Holy Nougat takes the supremacy and sovereignty of God as its focus.

Chew slowly before partaking of the reflection.

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,” Colossians‬ ‭1:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Most of us have accepted that God is invisible though present everywhere. But what does that mean exactly? And how do we recognize God in our lives?

For me, it is a matter of faith in God’s Word which proposes humanity as tripartite being – body, mind, and spirit – of which only the body is visible in a literal sense. This is corroborated by Science, which does lots of work with the intellect; but recognizes that it is not a visible substance.

Having accepted our own systems comprising ‘invisible’ elements, it becomes easier to stretch our minds to think about an invisible Being far more powerful than humans. (And if we don’t, that’s fine, but there are several other facts that we may be taking for granted or accepting that ought also prove challenging). When we then apply the Creation account found in Genesis 1:26-28; we may further conclude that our similarity to God is not so much physical as it is spiritual. For some of us, this adds proof of God’s existence.

As persons of Christ-ian faith, we also accept Jesus as the personification of God; God incarnate. This is the message of all four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Whereas Matthew and Luke offer birth narratives and genealogy to support the human dimension of Jesus’ existence, John and Mark do not. Mark presents Jesus as God’s Son – fact; and John extends this by affirming that Jesus was present at Creation. And that is what affirms Jesus’ supremacy. He’s not just another Teacher, Prophet, Miracle Man or Compassionate soul. Jesus is both God and human.

Should we accept Jesus as fully human-fully divine (not half and half), then we also have accepted the premise that Jesus’ act of incarnation also offered an opportunity for the Invisible to become Visible. But only for a short time because our human frames are finite. Thus, in the act of becoming human, God also became finite before returning to life beyond limits – Infinity.

And, if we take John’s perspective further, we also conclude that, having been the Word which offered Life TO Creation, Jesus is Greater than, or Supreme over all Creation. Including us. Which then implies that we ought to be subject to Jesus’ will and not the other way around.

Is this what we believe?

If so, how does our life reflect this daily?

Except God … only by God’s Grace … God is Supreme, manifested in Jesus Christ through the power of God’s Spirit.

Amen

In Christ’s love and grace . . .