Has God Been Tamed?
Sermon
Years ago in the physiotherapy department of most hospitals, artificial sunlight was used in the treatment of skin conditions. The sunlight was dispensed by means of a lamp which produced ultra-violet rays of varying lengths. But the light was very bright so that as well as having healing properties, it was also quite dangerous. The surrounding skin which was not being treated had to be protected from the light, otherwise it would be burned. And both patients and physios had to be careful to wear special protective goggles, otherwise their eyes would damaged. These days we're even more aware of the dangers of sunlight and are regularly warned to take care to avoid getting burned when sunbathing.
Despite all the dangers and all the precautions necessary, the artificial sunlight worked. It was the treatment of choice for teenagers suffering from acne and was also very effective on leg ulcers and other wounds. But it was clear that that which healed could also severely damage, if it wasn't used properly.
In the Old Testament understanding, the same seemed to be true of God, as far as the Ancient Israelites were concerned. God was regarded with great awe but was also considered to be dangerous. It was well known that anyone who was unfortunate enough to gaze upon the face of God, would die. Not that this was a punishment from God for wrongdoing, but an inevitable consequence of being in the presence of extreme holiness. It was as though God was so holy that anyone in direct contact with God would be unable to withstand the brilliant radiance. They would be burned to extinction by God's very holiness and intense purity.
On one occasion when Moses was talking with God, Moses was lifted up by God and gently placed in a crevice in the rock so that he wouldn't have to witness God passing by. This enabled Moses to see only the back of God disappearing, and so he was saved from death.
But something of this dangerous aspect of God was transferred to Moses whenever Moses met with God. Whenever he had been in the presence of God, Moses' face shone. It shone so brightly that the people were blinded by his radiance and terrified by this clear indication that Moses had been in the presence of serious holiness. They were unable to gaze upon Moses and he had to cover his face with a veil. It was a bit like driving in the winter when the sun is very low in the sky and shines off a wet road. Unless you pull down the visor you are blinded by the sun shining full into your face.
The presence of God is often denoted by a blinding light. When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain and Moses and Elijah appeared on either side of him, he shone with a blinding radiance which caused Peter, James and John to shield their eyes. And when St Paul met with God on the road to Damascus, he was so blinded by the light that he was unable to see at all for several days.
But nothing like that seems to happen these days. Has God been tamed, or is God really dangerous? Was the reaction of the people to the radiance of Moses simply a primitive reaction from a primitive time, or was it a deeper sensitivity to God than we in the 21st century shall ever know?
Here in the West, we human beings have tamed most aspects of our lives. We can find food quickly and easily so that we're never in danger of starving. We usually have shelter from adverse weather conditions. We can easily keep warm or cool down, when necessary. We have transport to take us to most places on the globe. We have conquered most diseases and extended our life span. And we're well on the way to conquering and maybe reversing, the aging process.
Have we also tamed God to such an extent that we no longer really need God? Has God's power been emasculated so that God is no longer dangerous?
Every so often, just when we're sitting comfortably and congratulating ourselves on all that human beings have achieved, something massive and disastrous happens to remind us that we are not yet gods. An extinct volcano erupts unexpectedly, or a huge earthquake claims thousands of lives, or a new strain of virus threatens millions across the planet or a space project fails dismally.
Not that these events are necessarily willed by God, but they are reminders that the force of nature is greater than the power of human beings.
And there are other forces which have proved far too strong for human beings and which human beings have never been able to dent, let alone conquer. They are, of course, the forces of evil. We human beings continue to sin, whether we want to or not. We are incapable of reaching sufficient human agreement to prevent violence in the world. We cannot get our act together enough to eradicate hunger or poverty, even though we're well aware that there are sufficient resources to make that possible. Pornography and child abuse abound as never before and crime - including murder - is at an all-time high.
We need God to help us conquer these forces. We need to follow the way shown us by Jesus Christ, two thousand years ago if we wish to change the patterns of human behaviour. We need to learn and to trust his maxim that to gain our lives, we need to first lose the old way of being. We need to submit to God's discipline and to revere God's gentle touch, but to be aware that God's touch is only gentle because God desires it to be gentle.
We need to become aware again, as the Ancient Israelites were aware, that God's power is real and that God cannot be tamed, even if in the present age God sometimes appears to be emasculated. Once we realise our own need and accept God's power and help, then we have a chance of also seeing God's holiness. Perhaps then we too will see the brilliant, radiant light of God, and will need to keep our eyes averted.
And perhaps, once we've actually been in the presence of God's supreme holiness, like Moses we too will take on some of God's dangerousness. How good it would be if all Christians were regarded as dangerous to the forces of evil, rather than as sad people to be pushed aside in the relentless and often amoral 'progress' of human beings.
St Paul once said that now we see through a glass darkly, but that after death we shall see face to face. Let's hope that when that day comes, if we need to avert our eyes it will be because of God's radiance and not because of our own shame that we never did become dangerous Christians.
Despite all the dangers and all the precautions necessary, the artificial sunlight worked. It was the treatment of choice for teenagers suffering from acne and was also very effective on leg ulcers and other wounds. But it was clear that that which healed could also severely damage, if it wasn't used properly.
In the Old Testament understanding, the same seemed to be true of God, as far as the Ancient Israelites were concerned. God was regarded with great awe but was also considered to be dangerous. It was well known that anyone who was unfortunate enough to gaze upon the face of God, would die. Not that this was a punishment from God for wrongdoing, but an inevitable consequence of being in the presence of extreme holiness. It was as though God was so holy that anyone in direct contact with God would be unable to withstand the brilliant radiance. They would be burned to extinction by God's very holiness and intense purity.
On one occasion when Moses was talking with God, Moses was lifted up by God and gently placed in a crevice in the rock so that he wouldn't have to witness God passing by. This enabled Moses to see only the back of God disappearing, and so he was saved from death.
But something of this dangerous aspect of God was transferred to Moses whenever Moses met with God. Whenever he had been in the presence of God, Moses' face shone. It shone so brightly that the people were blinded by his radiance and terrified by this clear indication that Moses had been in the presence of serious holiness. They were unable to gaze upon Moses and he had to cover his face with a veil. It was a bit like driving in the winter when the sun is very low in the sky and shines off a wet road. Unless you pull down the visor you are blinded by the sun shining full into your face.
The presence of God is often denoted by a blinding light. When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain and Moses and Elijah appeared on either side of him, he shone with a blinding radiance which caused Peter, James and John to shield their eyes. And when St Paul met with God on the road to Damascus, he was so blinded by the light that he was unable to see at all for several days.
But nothing like that seems to happen these days. Has God been tamed, or is God really dangerous? Was the reaction of the people to the radiance of Moses simply a primitive reaction from a primitive time, or was it a deeper sensitivity to God than we in the 21st century shall ever know?
Here in the West, we human beings have tamed most aspects of our lives. We can find food quickly and easily so that we're never in danger of starving. We usually have shelter from adverse weather conditions. We can easily keep warm or cool down, when necessary. We have transport to take us to most places on the globe. We have conquered most diseases and extended our life span. And we're well on the way to conquering and maybe reversing, the aging process.
Have we also tamed God to such an extent that we no longer really need God? Has God's power been emasculated so that God is no longer dangerous?
Every so often, just when we're sitting comfortably and congratulating ourselves on all that human beings have achieved, something massive and disastrous happens to remind us that we are not yet gods. An extinct volcano erupts unexpectedly, or a huge earthquake claims thousands of lives, or a new strain of virus threatens millions across the planet or a space project fails dismally.
Not that these events are necessarily willed by God, but they are reminders that the force of nature is greater than the power of human beings.
And there are other forces which have proved far too strong for human beings and which human beings have never been able to dent, let alone conquer. They are, of course, the forces of evil. We human beings continue to sin, whether we want to or not. We are incapable of reaching sufficient human agreement to prevent violence in the world. We cannot get our act together enough to eradicate hunger or poverty, even though we're well aware that there are sufficient resources to make that possible. Pornography and child abuse abound as never before and crime - including murder - is at an all-time high.
We need God to help us conquer these forces. We need to follow the way shown us by Jesus Christ, two thousand years ago if we wish to change the patterns of human behaviour. We need to learn and to trust his maxim that to gain our lives, we need to first lose the old way of being. We need to submit to God's discipline and to revere God's gentle touch, but to be aware that God's touch is only gentle because God desires it to be gentle.
We need to become aware again, as the Ancient Israelites were aware, that God's power is real and that God cannot be tamed, even if in the present age God sometimes appears to be emasculated. Once we realise our own need and accept God's power and help, then we have a chance of also seeing God's holiness. Perhaps then we too will see the brilliant, radiant light of God, and will need to keep our eyes averted.
And perhaps, once we've actually been in the presence of God's supreme holiness, like Moses we too will take on some of God's dangerousness. How good it would be if all Christians were regarded as dangerous to the forces of evil, rather than as sad people to be pushed aside in the relentless and often amoral 'progress' of human beings.
St Paul once said that now we see through a glass darkly, but that after death we shall see face to face. Let's hope that when that day comes, if we need to avert our eyes it will be because of God's radiance and not because of our own shame that we never did become dangerous Christians.
