Is Jesus God? When I was a kid, for a brief stint, I thought George Burns was God. My parents figured it was a good start and then that way they didn’t have to fight over what church or actually having to go to church at all. They had funner things to fight about. For example, everything else. God bless cable.

I remember while in the RCIA program of Catholicism – what I liked to call my “Going Catholic Class” (Yeah, they didn’t respond well to that either.) I remember a leader guy telling me exactly what heaven was like and how my picture of it was wrong. Here we were discussing heaven and it really pissed me off. I probably should have walked away then. How does this guy know what heaven is like? Why is he telling me this? If I don’t believe this, will I still pass and Go Catholic? Did I mention it took me 2 ½ years to get through RCIA.

I’ve been thinking on this Is Jesus God gig for a while now.  Is this another test? Are y’all still letting me in if I don’t answer correctly? Because this is a tough one. And I think I’m with Margaret on this one, does it matter that Jesus is God? Even if we take George Burns out of this equation, I have decided my answer is: Let’s wait and see. And when I find out, I’m not coming back to tell you about it.  Did I pass?

But Jesus was God made in the flesh. Well yes. But now he’s not flesh and he sits at the right hand of the Father. Well, who is to say God even has a hand, or a right one at that?

We’re human and we need relational understanding. We need to know who everyone is, and where they stand…or in this case, sit, and it’s at the right hand of the Father. I was under the impression that God sent Jesus to us, to, you know, effectively communicate a whole lot of what they were missing the point on. “So, what I need you to do is tell them how it is. They started out on top of things, but they’re not quite getting it. Tell them to get it. It’s gonna get ugly, they’re gonna let you down. But keep going. Your demise will ultimately save them all.” I wonder what language God said all that in? Hebrew? Greek? Telepathy?

The very first affirmation of The Phoenix Affirmations explains it a bit more – “Walking fully in the Path of Jesus (here’s my personal favorite part) without denying the legitimacy of other paths that God may provide for humanity.”

My belief on Christianity and other religions makes the same stance. Jesus is how God reveals to us in the proximity of which there is potential to receive Jesus. Jesus called God Father because Jesus was of the flesh – human. And he needed to put it in humanity’s laymen’s terms. Perhaps I’ve simplified too much, but it’s my theory of relational understanding and communication.

When I teach my students (I’m a  part time college communications instructor) I always tell them, particularly in interpersonal communications – it is not the message that you are saying – it is how your message is received. I’m guessing God probably knew/knows all that – since, you know, God is all-knowing and such.

So, is Jesus God? I don’t know. And really, I’m okay with that. I do know however, I’m not praying to George Burns. So, that’s probably good. Asking a yes or no question of this magnitude, perhaps isn’t the gig. Maybe it’s both yes and no. Maybe it’s maybe. Maybe there’s a flow chart or an if/then process. Perhaps this question posed is all about not necessarily finding the definitive answer, but simply posing the question.

For me, Jesus is my connection to God. That’s about as far as I can go on that one. I hope I pass.