What if God was one of us?

There is a definite correlation between the amount of grey hair I have and the number of tracks in my iTunes library which could now be classed as ‘retro.’  Like grey hair, however, retro is not necessarily bad, and some classics have definitely found their way out of the woodwork as I sit working this morning.

Now 34 seems to be a particularly good source of gems, including “What if God was one of us” by Joan Osborne. 

As a Christian, I find the following verse quite ironic, because I believe that it is through Jesus that God has revealed his face, as it were:

If God had a face what would it look like?
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that
you would have to believe
in things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints

Nonetheless, I still think that the song is more than just a good tune, and actually think that some of the questions are no less valid from a Christian perspective.  Do I really want to see God’s face?  What would I ask if I had just one question?

Strangely enough, I also appreciate the sarcastic tone of the chorus.  It’s refreshingly honest in some ways, because there are definitely times when it isn't easy to sing “God is great” without it sounding hollow.  That’s not to say that we shouldn’t strive to give thanks to God in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18) or rejoice in the Lord despite everything (Habakukk 3: 17-18), but I definitely feel that there is value in being honest.

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