Is God our Godfather?

The film series, The Godfather, depicts the rise to power of a fictional mafia boss, Michael Corleone.  The story demonstrates the force of Michael’s growing power, as well as the one thing that power alone can never provide him.  Halfway through the second film, Michael has just intimidated an FBI witness scheduled to testify against him at a Senate Committee hearing by subtlety threatening the witness’s brother.  His wife, Kay, can no longer remain with the person Michael has become and explains that she is leaving him:

Kay:  At this moment I feel no love for you at all, I never thought that would happen, but it has.

Michael:  Kay, you can leave tomorrow.  Why don’t you take the kids back to their room?

Kay:  Michael, you haven’t heard me.

Michael:  Kay, what do you want from me?  Do you expect me to let you go? Do you expect me to let you take my children from me?  Don’t you know me?  Don’t you know that that is an impossibility?  That it could never happen!  That I would use all my power to keep something like that from happening? Don’t you know that? Kay, in time you’ll feel differently, you’ll be glad I stopped you.  I know that.

(The Godfather, part II)

Blinded by him immense power, Michael does not understand that he cannot force anyone to love him.  Without freedom love is impossible.

Throughout the creation account in Genesis, God’s Will and God's Power are united as He speaks the universe into being.  How much Power is packed into the Voice of God?  When God says, “Let there be light”, there is LIGHT as hundreds of billions of stars explode into being!  Pretty impressive, but that is hundreds of billions of stars in each galaxy and there are 80 billion galaxies in just the observable universe.

God speaks and light is light; light is not given a choice.  Throughout most of the creation account God’s Power accomplished whatever His Word declares.  However, God understands that power alone cannot create love.  For the creation of humanity God adds freedom to the mix.  To do this God chooses to separate His Will (Voice/Desire) from His Power (Life/Spirit) in order to provide us freedom

God first gives us the gift of Life: 

Genesis 2:7   “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath (Spirit, Wind, Power) of life, and the man became a living being.”

Then gives us His Word, or Will for us separately:

Genesis 2:16-17  “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’”

The rest of Scripture can be understood by tracing these two primary themes, as God desires to reconcile Humanity to the relationship of love and trust we were created to experiance with God's Voice and God's Power.  Over and over He reveals His Word to lead us to His Life.  The Power or Life of God is a gift, but it is not a gift that God forces onto us.  By trusting God’s Voice we experience God’s Life.  No other creature is offered this choice, because no other creature is created for this unique kind of loving relationship with God.