What if God were one of us?
This is a fascinating song by Joan Osborne. She places the video in the context of a freak show. The "freaks" in the show are human (so they are sort of like us), but their differences intrigue us and make us stare at them. This would fit with the description of Jesus, yes he was human like us, but also so different he seems to be from a foreign universe.
I'm also intrigued by the scenes of people putting their faces in the "God cut-out". In a sense we all do this; we play God and think he looks just like us.
Most people probably won't pick this up, but Osborne gives a nod to Bob Dylan in this song. She asks what if God is, "trying to make his way home, just trying to make his way home, like a holy rolling stone." In Dylan's famous song "Like a Rolling Stone" he asks, "how does it feel to be without a home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone?" Osbourne seems to place God in Dylan's song. God is the unknown. He might be right in front of us, but he is unseen and unfelt . . .
The doctrine of the incarnation, however, gives us hope that God is here. In a sense, he is one of us. And he is knowable.
I'm also intrigued by the scenes of people putting their faces in the "God cut-out". In a sense we all do this; we play God and think he looks just like us.
Most people probably won't pick this up, but Osborne gives a nod to Bob Dylan in this song. She asks what if God is, "trying to make his way home, just trying to make his way home, like a holy rolling stone." In Dylan's famous song "Like a Rolling Stone" he asks, "how does it feel to be without a home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone?" Osbourne seems to place God in Dylan's song. God is the unknown. He might be right in front of us, but he is unseen and unfelt . . .
The doctrine of the incarnation, however, gives us hope that God is here. In a sense, he is one of us. And he is knowable.
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