"I believe that reflection on this central truth of our faith — God's nearness to us — is the key factor in understanding a changing church," writes Michael Morwood, an adult faith formation professional who resides in Melbourne, Australia. He believes that far too much emphasis has been put upon sin, thus slighting God's love for us and the Creator's presence as revealed by the life of Jesus. He covers these two subjects and also has chapters on the Eucharist, the church, and prayer as ways we become aware of God's nearness.
Christians who have been wounded by church policies and doctrines will find plenty of hope and inspiration on these pages. When we accept the nearness of the Holy One and the fact that we have been created in the divine image and sent into the world as signs of God's abiding love for all, we can live a life of true joy and meaning. We do not have to struggle to gain access to the Creator nor do we have to win approval by doing good things. God loves us totally, freely and now. Jesus is the revealer of the nearness of God, and we can draw close to him as a companion and as a friend: "We can and should use the human experiences common to Jesus and ourselves as stepping stones between our hearts and his heart. This is how we can know him better, how our hearts and his heart can touch, and how we can develop genuine friendship with him. Otherwise, we run the risk of having a Jesus whose heart we cannot know, someone who is not really like us." Morwood makes a solid and substantial case for the real presence of God in our lives as a spur to loving and serving others.
