It was in the year that King Uzziah died that God called Isaiah to prophetic ministry. That call from God came in a vision, in which Isaiah saw God seated high and lifted up, with the hem of God’s robe filling the Temple. And six-winged creatures called seraphs flew about the throne calling to each other: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is filled with his glory.” Although Isaiah was overwhelmed by what he saw and heard, when the time came, he answered God’s invitation to be God’s messenger to God’s people by declaring: “Here am I, send me” (Is. 6:1-8).
Paul wrote to the church in Rome, reminding them that everyone who is led by the Spirit of God is one of God’s children. Since we have received the spirit of adoption, the Holy Spirit bears witness to our spirits letting us know that we are God’s children, which means we are God’s heirs. In fact, we are joint heirs with Jesus of all God’s promises. Therefore, while we may suffer with Christ, we will also be glorified with him. Both Isaiah and Paul write about hearing God’s voice, though the manner in which they hear this voice is quite different. Isaiah’s vision is quite dramatic, while what Paul relates seems more subdued and subtle. Of course, if we turn to the Book of Acts, we read the story of Paul’s dramatic encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).
Then there is that word found in the third chapter of the Gospel of John where Jesus tells Nicodemus that God loves the world and desires to bring eternal life to it through the person of Jesus. When John talks about eternal life, he is thinking about the kingdom or realm of God (Jn. 3:16).
The question for us is this: Are we listening for God’s voice? If so, how might we recognize God’s voice? What might God be saying to us?
While Isaiah had a profound visionary experience like nothing I’ve ever experienced, Paul writes about the witness of the Spirit, who speaks to our spirits. Then there is this word from Psalm 29 that speaks of God’s voice in terms of a hurricane. God’s voice according to the Psalm thunders over the waters, breaks the cedars of Lebanon, and flashes forth flames of fire while shaking the wilderness. I’ve never experienced a hurricane or a tornado, but I’ve seen the damage they can do on the news. This is very powerful stuff.
So, what is the Psalmist trying to say to us? We might start with the audience, who are described as being the “sons of God” or as the NRSV puts it, “heavenly beings.” This appears to be a reference to the divine council or heavenly court mentioned throughout the Old Testament. They are called upon to ascribe glory and strength to the God who speaks with power and might. You can see similarities between the description of God’s throne room in Isaiah 6 and the Psalmist’s heavenly court. What we can say about this depiction of God’s voice thundering across the waters and shaking the land is that God is not only powerful but it reaches everywhere. Maybe that’s the point, God’s voice reaches everywhere.
In these declarations, we’re reminded that God reigns supreme. As David Taylor reminds us: “This is a God who cannot be manipulated. This God cannot be reduced to human whims. This God can be known—but not exhaustively. This God is holy.” [Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life (kindle pp. 41-42)].
It’s likely that Isaiah’s vision took place in the Temple and the Psalm likely also speaks of Temple worship. For ancient Judaism, the Temple served as a point of contact with the heavenly realm. So, as Joel Marcus Lemon writes of Isaiah’s vision and this Psalm: “When heard in worship, they invite those gathered to revel in the majesty of God; bold, stirring sounds of brass, drums, and pipes are in order, or any combination of instrument that can thunder forth.” [Connections, p. 8].
While both of these images overwhelm us, they’re not the only pictures available to us. Paul’s word about the Holy Spirit witnessing to our spirits seems quieter and gentler. Then there’s the story of Elijah’s encounter with God. In that encounter, Elijah didn’t hear God’s voice in the windstorm that split mountains, or in an earthquake, but rather in a moment of sheer silence he heard God speak in a “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-18 KJV).
Yes, God is worthy of our worship and praise. But that’s not the whole story because the Psalmist closes with a prayer: “May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!”
God may speak to us through hurricane-force winds, but God may also speak through a still small voice. God may speak through Scripture or perhaps through a conversation with a person filled with wisdom and grace. The question is how do we know when God is speaking? How do we distinguish between God’s voice and the other voices speaking to us?
I will leave these questions hanging for a moment as I set our immediate context. We’ve gathered this morning as is now our custom to worship together on holiday weekends, bringing together three Presbyterian congregations, a Disciples congregation, and a UCC congregation. While we share some things in common, each congregation brings to the gathering its own uniquenesses. Hopefully, what we’re discovering as we listen together for God’s voice is, to quote a motto of the United Church of Christ, is that “God is still speaking.” The question is, are we listening?
As we ponder that question we might want to ask who is this God that we seek to hear from? Since this is Trinity Sunday, this is as good a moment as any to ask that question.
The Gospel reading for today from John 3 reminds us that God loves the world and does not wish to condemn it. Therefore, God sent the Son so that whoever embraced the Son would receive eternal life. That is, they would experience God’s realm, an experience that begins in the present.
I’m not going to address the doctrine of the Trinity, because that would take much more time than we have this morning. Nevertheless, this doctrine reminds us that God’s nature is complex and even mysterious. One thing we can say about God’s nature is that God is love (1 John 4:7-8). So whether God speaks through hurricane-force winds or in a still small voice, we can know that, as Paul revealed, God’s Spirit witnesses to our spirits letting us know that we are God’s children. Because we are God’s children, God calls us to bear witness to God’s glory and God’s love for the world.
The closing words of Psalm 29 ask God to give strength to God’s people and bless them with peace. Dietrich Bonhoeffer reflected on the meaning of this particular Psalm and he wrote: “Psalm 29 allows us to wonder at the fearful power of God in the thunder, and yet its goal lies in the power, the blessing, and the peace which God sends to God’s people” [Works, 5:163]. Putting this in Trinitarian terms, we might say that the God of Israel is at work bringing salvation to God’s creation through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what it means to experience God’s peace, God’s shalom.
As we ponder what it means to listen for the voice of God, I invite us all to consider what God is saying to us, not only as individuals and congregations, but as five congregations, in all our differences of theology and practice, about how we might participate together in God’s mission in the world. As we hear God’s voice speaking to us anew about our call to participate in God’s work of love, justice, and mercy in the world, might we answer as Isaiah did, saying: “Here am I, send me?”
The Psalm along with Isaiah’s vision invites us to experience God’s presence with awe. Regarding the awe with which we experience God’s presence, Rabbi Abraham Heschel wrote: “Awe precedes faith; it is at the root of faith. We must grow in awe in order to reach faith.” [The Wisdom of Heschel, loc. 351]. It is out of that awe-inspired faith that together we can answer God’s call by joining with the seraphs and sing together: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Is. 6:3). As we worship the God who loves us and cares for us, we can experience God’s peace, a peace that we can share with the world.
While I shy away from applying the word “omnipotent” to God, I will close by sharing this word from a well-known hymn that draws on Psalm 29 and speaks of God’s peace:
God the omnipotent!
Boldly ordaining thunder and lightning
your strength to display,
bring forth compassion
where violence is reigning:
give to us peace in our time, we pray.
(Henry Chorley, alt.)
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