From: stevek
Date: Thu Oct 16 15:42:10 MST 2003
Subject: God's not a tenor

First of all, I took myself on a date last night to see Luther. I'd give it high marks but two things in general struck me. First, while the words 'mercy' and 'compassion'were used to describe God's character, oddly the word 'grace' never once was used during the film. It was the issue of "grace alone" that caused Luther to feel that the book of James should not be included in the canon (he ultimately came around.)So, it's absence seemed to be an important omission. Just an observation. Also, as is usually the case when I see films on church history, I was troubled by the killing and 'inhumanity'(probably not an accurate term for humans' tendency to kill - that is in fact what characterizes our behavior/even as far back as Genesis.) I realize that it's a portrayal of history, but putting it in the face of the secular world only adds to the already ample ammunition satan has to turn hearts away from Jesus' followers as representing something different and inviting. All the more reason for us to be 'doers of the Word' so we do shine Christ. I was re-reading the Transfiguration account yesterday and this thought occured to me. When Peter, James and John "heard" the voice of God coming from a cloud, they fell on their faces 'terrified.' I have always assumed that the voice they heard was audible, and that God just stopped speaking that way these days. In fact, whenever I have read Old Testament accounts of His voice, I have always made that assumption. Why? I hear God 'speak' to me. The voice isn't audible to those around me, but I hear Him none the less. We anthropomorphize Him in order to make our Creator more intellectually accessable. We don't need to do that. He'll find a way to make His presence known. Always has. In 1 Kings 19 we read the account of Elijah not finding God in the wind, earthquake or fire, but 'hearing' His voice as a gentle whisper. We read of Moses 'hearing' God from the burning bush. In fact, we read of the prophets 'hearing' God and if you're like me you assume that the voice is audible. It needn't be. God is Spirit, and He speaks to us today at the level of our spirit. We hear. So I reflected on whether any or all of those accounts of Him speaking could be just as easily understood when read with that in mind; that is, whenever people 'heard' the voice of God, it was His Spirit speaking to their spirit - Deep calling to deep. It works just fine. And it eases the concern over having to wrestle with why God has 'changed' His manner of addressing His children today. Sure, God could speak in an audible voice, but He has never done that with me, and somehow He has usually seemed to get His point across.

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