The "So...What Do You Think God Looks Like? - Part I" Story

It was an ordinary day. Reading the newspaper and I saw an article with a similar title to my post today that drew my attention.  After reading the article I still feel the same as I always have about my physical impression of God.  I have seen his face many times over the past 66 years.  It goes back to when I was eight years old and became a member of the St. James Episcopal Boys Choir in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  

Three adult choir members with their sons in the St. James
choir.  My dad and I are to the far right in the rear.

After a few weeks of practice learning the hymns and anthems I would finally have the chance to sing in the 20-member boys choir.  I wore the cassock and robe proudly down the aisle to my seat at the front of the church.  After reaching my seat, I turned toward the altar and there he was...Jesus.  I couldn't take my eyes off the painting hanging on the wall next to me.  To me it was Jesus...God.  And, that remembrance has been with me since that day!  Now I guess I should tell you how I feel about Jesus and God.  For me it was like this: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."  Immanuel literally means "God with us" therefore Jesus was "God with us."  Amen!  

Interior of St. James Church.  To the far right, hanging on
the wall far right about mid-level are the out-stretched
arms of Jesus on the cross.  The painting was by
Jacob Eichholtz and painted in 1915. Click on image to enlarge.

Now, getting back to the newspaper article.  Research was done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  After asking 511 American Christians what they think God looks like, they still did not have an answer.  Seems that liberals imagined God as "more feminine, younger and loving while conservatives saw him as a white guy who was "more powerful".  Other research said that conservatives are more motivated to live in a well-ordered society, one that would be regulated by a powerful God while liberals are more motivated to live in a tolerant society, which would be better regulated by a loving God.  

This is the image that shows what
I picture Jesus or God to look like.
Young boys have impressional minds!

The resulting image from the 511 American Christians was basically just a big guess, since the Bible doesn't spell out what God looks like.  Wow!  I thought I could find out what he looked like from descriptions in the Bible, so I began my search.  One thing I found in Genesis 1:27 was: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  So...does he have long hair?  What color is he?  I can still remember my conversation with the female bartender at the resort I was visiting a few years ago on the island of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos islands.  I asked her if the majority of the people on Provo were Christians and she said she thought they were.  I then asked this black woman what color God was and without hesitation she said, "Well, black!  What other color would he be."  That was my sermon for the day.  So...is he black...or white...or yellow...or tan?  I know!  Just as I said before...I will never forget that painting on the wall.  Say what you want, but to me I really do know what God looks like.  I'll take the image with me until I meet him again one day.  Amen!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.