Sermon at St. Mary’s Parish Church, West Grimstead – 6th Sunday in Easter – Sunday 10th May 2026
Acts
11:22-31; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21
May I speak
in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and may these words be those of
you Lord, and may those who hear be blessed. Amen
Homily: “What Does Your God
Look Like to You?”
(Based on Acts 11:22–31; 1 Peter 3:13–22; and John 14:15–21)
When you close your eyes and
think of God, what comes to mind?
For some, God looks like majesty and power—an unapproachable light that burns
with holiness. For others, God looks like tenderness: a shepherd, a parent, a
friend who stays close when all else falls away. The truth is, our image of God
is often shaped by our experiences—by how we’ve been loved, how we’ve suffered,
and how we’ve seen grace at work around us. The Scriptures today invite us to
look again at who God truly is—and to allow that image to change us.
1. God Who Looks Like Encouragement and Generosity
In the Acts of the
Apostles, we see the early Church at Antioch coming alive in faith. The
believers there were from many different backgrounds. When the apostles heard
what was happening, they sent Barnabas to encourage them. Barnabas—whose name
means “son of encouragement”—saw the grace of God at work and rejoiced. He
didn’t come to judge or control; he came to strengthen hearts and recognize
goodness.
This is an image of God
worth holding close.
What does your God look like? Perhaps God looks like Barnabas—someone who
arrives not with condemnation but with a joyful heart, helping others find
courage and hope.
Barnabas’s response shows
that God delights in us—not in perfection, but in the growth of faith and love.
God sees the flicker of goodness within us and breathes it brighter. When we
face conflict or uncertainty in our communities, can we be like Barnabas and
reflect that same divine encouragement?
Our God, then, is not
distant. God looks like a companion who notices grace and calls it forth. God
looks like generosity, like open arms welcoming those once seen as outsiders.
God looks like joy in unity.
2. God Who Looks Like Courage and Mercy
St. Peter, writing to a
scattered and suffering Church, tells us not to fear when we do what is right,
even if the world misunderstands us. He reminds us that Christ also suffered
for the sake of righteousness—“once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous,
to bring us to God.”
Here, God looks like
enduring love. Not triumphant in worldly terms, but steadfast in mercy. Peter’s
words turn our hearts from fear to hope: suffering is not a sign of God’s
absence, but of sharing in Christ’s redeeming work.
To say “this is what my God
looks like” is to say, “My God is not a stranger to pain.” Our God has scars.
Our God stands beside the oppressed, the misunderstood, and the hurting. Our
God looks like Jesus before Pilate—silent, yet victorious in truth.
This image of God challenges
the false idols of control or comfort. It reminds us that holiness isn’t about
escaping the world’s troubles but transforming them from within. So when Peter
asks us to be ready to explain the hope within us, he’s asking for more than
words—he’s calling us to embody the face of a merciful God.
Perhaps in your life, God
has looked like compassion that refuses to give up, or forgiveness that waited
patiently for your return. That divine patience, that merciful courage—that is
the God Peter knew, and the God we are called to mirror.
3. God Who Looks Like Love Alive Within Us
And in John’s Gospel, Jesus
gives the heart of it all: “If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will
ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.”
Here we see the deepest
truth about God’s appearance—it is love made visible in love. The God of Jesus
Christ is not confined to heaven or to history. God dwells within us through
the Holy Spirit—the Advocate, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth.
What does that mean for how
we imagine God?
It means God looks like love that abides. God looks like someone who refuses to
leave us orphaned. God is the light that quietly fills the soul when we pray,
the peace that steadies us when all else shakes.
In a world where so many
gods are made of power and performance, our God looks different. Our God looks
like relationship. A God who calls us friends, who washes feet, who breathes
peace. Not a God who demands fear, but a God who invites intimacy.
If we truly believe this,
our lives become living icons of what we adore. The way we speak, forgive, and
serve becomes the reflection of what our God looks like to us. If our God is
kind, we show kindness. If our God is faithful, we stay faithful. If our God is
love, then love is what must be seen in us.
4. Seeing and Showing This God Today
So, what does your God look
like today?
If you’re carrying grief, God may look like the one who weeps beside you.
If you’re carrying guilt, God may look like the one who runs to embrace you.
If you’re carrying hope, God may look like the smile of someone who believes in
you.
And for others, perhaps you
will be the face of God today—the gentle word, the patient presence, the
helping hand. You may be the Barnabas someone needs. The courage of Peter
someone admires. The promise of John’s Jesus someone clings to.
Because God has chosen to
dwell in us, all of us together reveal what God looks like. No one’s vision is
complete alone. In our diversity as believers—young and old, joyful and weary,
certain and questioning—God’s face shines through in countless ways.
The Church in Antioch grew
strong not because everyone looked the same or thought the same, but because
God’s Spirit was alive in each believer. When the world sees such love among
us, when it sees encouragement instead of envy, mercy instead of judgment, and
faith instead of fear, then the world sees what our God truly looks like.
Conclusion
So today, perhaps the
question is not only “What does your God look like to you?”
It’s also, “When others look at you, what does your God look like through you?”
May the Spirit of truth
shape our hearts to reflect the God we know in Christ—
the God who encourages like Barnabas,
who suffers with mercy like Jesus,
and who abides within us as love unending.
Amen. MFB/234/090520026
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