invented?

WHO INVENTED GOD? That’s what six year old Lulu wanted to know. So her kind dad, Times journalist Alex Renton, sought out some opinions for her. The Archbishop of Canterbury wrote to Lulu:

Dear Lulu,

Your dad has sent on your letter and asked if I have any answers. It’s a difficult one! But I think God might reply a bit like this –

‘Dear Lulu – Nobody invented me – but lots of people discovered me and were quite surprised. They discovered me when they looked round at the world and thought it was really beautiful or really mysterious and wondered where it came from. They discovered me when they were very very quiet on their own and felt a sort of peace and love they hadn’t expected.

Then they invented ideas about me – some of them sensible and some of them not very sensible. From time to time I sent them some hints – specially in the life of Jesus – to help them get closer to what I’m really like.

But there was nothing and nobody around before me to invent me. Rather like somebody who writes a story in a book, I started making up the story of the world and eventually invented human beings like you who could ask me awkward questions!’

And then he’d send you lots of love and sign off.

I know he doesn’t usually write letters, so I have to do the best I can on his behalf. Lots of love from me too.

+Archbishop Rowan

I’m bowled over by this response. Peter Bolton left a comment on the Telegraph’s blog that reads: Beautiful: both the man and the letter. I couldn’t agree more.

I spent nearly three hours in the pulpit here in Bramhall today, “At The Foot of The Cross”, and what I most wanted to communicate, what I most want to communicate whenever I speak “In the Name of the Father …”, within or without the pulpit, is precisely that human beings have invented ideas about God – some of them sensible and some of them not very sensible. But the life of Jesus really is full of hints to what God is really like. The life of Jesus encourages each of us to become really full of such hints, too. And in Jesus, and in Rowan, Archbishop of Canterbury, the chief hint about what God is really like is undoubtedly – and stunningly wonderfully – kindness. This story, like the older story, makes this Friday Good.

What does the Lord require of you? Only this: to do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6.8