Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen
Jesus taught us
to pray, “Abba”, “Father”.
In contrast to
the Jewish way of referring to God, as we find in many of the Jewish blessings,
“Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King
of the Universe” “Father” evokes an image of intimacy and caring, and
also, of course, an understanding that we are indeed God’s children, hence able
to call him “Father”.
Many people, me
included, have pointed out that “Abba” was a more intimate, familial term than
the formal “Father”.
After doing a bit
of research, I found out that in the Aramaic language that Jesus would have
spoken, there was only one term for father and that was “Abba”. It was both the intimate address of a child
to their father, as in “Daddy” but also the more respectful address as “Father”.
But in either
case, there was a clear shift in emphasis from the phrase “Blessed are you, O
Lord our God, King of the Universe.” It
was a shift away from the holy, awesome, all powerful and fearful God who
wreaked havoc in the Old Testament, to one who loves, cares, and is as intimate
and close to us as an earthly Father.
This is a
wonderful image of God that Jesus gives us, and in most cases, probably the
image that we have in our minds when we offer our prayers to him.
And yet, there is
the other side, the other reality that also must remain. God is not just a good friend in whom we can
confide.
God is, was, and
always will be “King of the Universe”.
As I watched,
thrones were set in place,
and an Ancient One took his throne,
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
and its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued
and flowed out from his presence.
A thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood
attending him.
The court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened.
These words from
Daniel do not suggest a ‘dearest daddy’ image for God, not at all.
Holy, Awe
inspiring, even terrifying in a good way.
Isaiah also had a
vision of the heavenly throne, which is recorded for us in the sixth chapter:
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw
the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled
the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings:with two
they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two
they flew.
3 And one called to another and said:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the
voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I
said:"Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live
among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of
hosts!"
And again in
Revelation we have the image of God’s throne:
At once I was in the spirit, and there in
heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! 3 And the one seated
there looks like jasper and carnelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that
looks like an emerald. 4 Around the throne are twenty- four thrones, and seated
on the thrones are twenty- four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden
crowns on their heads. 5 Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and
rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming
torches, which are the seven spirits of God; 6 and in front of the throne there
is something like a sea of glass, like crystal.
Around the throne, and on each side of the
throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:7 the first
living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third
living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature
like a flying eagle.
8 And the four living creatures, each of
them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night
without ceasing they sing,
"Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God the Almighty,
who was and is and is to come."
I find myself
wondering about that day when I die and enter into the heavens.
What will I find?
What will the
experience be like?
One of the images
that many people have is they look forward to meeting Jesus, often in a very
pastoral and placid setting, and Jesus reaching out to take their hand in a
warm and loving way.
But then another
image is that as we enter heaven, we will approach the throne, walking amids
all of the thousands of heavenly beings, to stand before the almighty. Fear and trepidation is what I imagine when I
think of walking through the heavenly sanctuary toward the throne of God.
What is it?
I’d like for you
to consider the experience of our own nation.
One of the things
I remember about George Bush, when he ran for the presidency is that he
impressed the American people as the candidate that they could most imagine ‘sitting
down and having a beer with’—ironic because Bush did not drink.
There was a warmth
about George Bush.
He and Laura
conveyed a friendliness that was highly attractive to people.
Kind.
Gentle.
Caring.
The defining moment
of his presidency came when he stood on the rubble of the twin towers, speaking
to the crowds, and someone shouted out “we can’t hear you”, to which he
responded “We can hear you?”
Someone who not
only cared, but was a listener, and one you’d be delighted to have as a
neighbor.
And yet, he was
President, and as such commanded the most lethal military force the world has
ever seen as was evident when he order the attacks on both Afghanistan and
Iraq.
You only have to
watch the friendship he established with Michelle Obama to conclude George Bush
is genuinely a nice man, a compassionate man, a friendly man.
Yes, but, the
city of Bagdad was lit up at night by the awe inspiring display of military
might he commanded.
The point that I’m
trying to illustrate is that sometimes love and might are wed together.
And if we believe
the Bible, they certainly are in the person of God.
Yes, Jesus
reveals to us the marvelous love and compassion of our God.
Yet, this God,
our God, also is the King of the Universe.
And both of those
images are important.
If we are terrified
because of our sin, we need desparately to know that God loves and forgives us.
Yet if we are
overwhelmed by the evil in the world, we need to be reassured that God is God,
and God’s will will prevail, and that we need not fear the chaos of the world
around us because God will one day defeat every force of evil.
Jesus stood
before Pilot, on trial.
“Are you the King
of the Jews?” Pilot asked.
Pilot understood
government.
Pilot understood
Kings.
The Romans were
quite accomplished in such matters.
What Pilot didn’t
understand was Jesus.
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my
kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from
being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
What is
incomprehensible for Pilot is to imagine a King, willing to stand there and be
sentenced to death for the sake of his people.
Kings don’t do
that.
That’s why Kings
have armies.
But Christ was
different.
In his suffering,
death and resurrection Christ destroyed the power of death, and opened the
gates of heaven for all of us.
Will it be a
fearful experience to walk up the aisle of the heavenly sanctuary to stand
before the Lord our God?
It might be
terrifying if we had to do it alone.
But I’d rather
imagine we will not be alone.
Christ will be by
our side.
All of the
faithful who have gone before us will be cheering us on.
And those loved
ones who have themselves just recently made that walk, will be there to offer
their own encouragement and hope.
And then, as we
stand before the throne of God, the Ancient One who spoke the world into being
with a word, will with that same word make us anew.
See, I am making
all things new.
The first things
have passed away.
“I will be your
God, and you will be my child.”
And with those
words, eternity will begin.
Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment