Both And

On a recent Thursday, I drove from Syracuse to Burlington, VT. I was cruising through the Adirondacks. It was a beautiful day and early enough that the roads were mostly empty. I was driving our Mazda–not a sports car, but it’s sporty–enjoying the feel of accelerating into the turns. I was heading north on route 8 when I noticed a sign that said I was also on 30 South. That seemed weird, but I just kept going. On my return trip, I saw it again but in reverse. This time I was on 8 South but also 30 North. How in the world do you go north and south simultaneously? You can’t, but you can–that short section of 8 that as a whole goes more North East or South East overlaps 30 that went South or North, respectively.

We tend to want to simplify things and often prefer either or rather than “both and.” But many things in life are better explained by “both and.” For example, loving someone is often the most joyous and challenging thing you can do–both are true. This concept of both and also applies to God. God is both transcendent other and relationally personal.

This is good news!

In the story of Jesus’ transfiguration, the disciples see Jesus shining and hear God’s voice declare, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” (Matt. 17:5). Naturally, it terrified them. But Jesus also puts his hand on their shoulder and tells them not to fear, revealing God as transcendent other and relationally personal. This reality is good news for us. If God is not transcendent other, then God lacks the power to save and transform creation. If the universe is just an extension of God versus God being distinct from the universe, then God is arbitrary just like the universe. If God is not relationally personal then as finite beings, we cannot understand and comprehend God. Thankfully, this is not the case. Instead, God is transcendent but has revealed who God is in the person of Jesus and continues to engage us through the spirit.

God is encountered not contained

I’m always grateful for the Apostle Peter because he is wonderfully human. Mostly well-intentioned and sometimes says ridiculous things. In Peter’s state of overwhelmedness, he offers to make three dwellings for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Moses and Elijah died a long time ago. Jesus is uncontainable. Shelters? Oh, Peter. It’s a worthwhile lesson for us to remember that God doesn’t need shelter and cannot be contained.

We try to contain God all the time via theology, practice, or behavior. If we know all the right ideas about God, then we control God. Practices like prayer and communion can easily become things we do to require God to behave as we desire. Finally, sometimes we treat God like an insurance policy or spare tire, trying to contain God for when we need God to show up. Silly, really. But we do it just like Peter offers to build some shelters.

Relational knowing requires revelation

When Queen Elizabeth died recently, my wife was sad as though she knew her. Like I was when Kobe Bryant died. Did we know either of these people? We knew about them. We saw their actions in the world, but we did not know them as we know each other. Why? Because in a relationship, you reveal yourself by sharing your hopes, fears, and dreams. You experience what it is like to share life with someone. 

Jesus has revealed God through his personhood and continues to reveal God today through the Spirit. The eternal, transcendent God is revealed through the person of Christ and the person of the Spirit. When the disciples are afraid, Jesus puts his hand on them and tells them not to be frightened. Jesus ministers to them. God’s ministry to humanity through the person of Jesus and the Spirit is still how God reveals Godself to us today. We receive the presence of a friend when we can’t bear being alone, we hear a word of love or direction in prayer, or we see God’s face in the face of another that we are ministering to. These transcendent moments we experience are God being relationally personal, revealing Godself to us.

God is both transcendent other and relationally personal. Be humbly open to encountering God today as you move through your day.