The Voice of God!

What does the voice of God sound like?  What do you think?

In film or T.V. drama it is usually a deep, booming, echoing sound - much like the "It could be you!" voice on the National Lottery adverts. It's a voice that sounds like it should be written in capital letters.  In the Terry Pratchet Discworld books, the voice of Death is always written in capitals. It's a voice designed to smell of power and distance, authority with a dash of "don't do that!"

In our church the voice of God almost always sounds like Chris Eddowes! She seems to have the monopoly on playing God in the drama we do here. Perhaps it's a touch of the shool-teacher that gives her the edge!

What does the voice of God sound like to you ... today?

To the psalmist who wrote psalm 29 it sounded like this:

Perhaps the psalmist is writing after a fierce storm or an earthquake.  He is awestruck  and terrified by the sheer power of God expressed in the world he has created.  If it is God who directs the wind and the waves, if it is God who splits the sky with lightning fork and shakes the very ground under my feet, then surely this is an awesome God!  The voice of God is one of power and majesty, it is a voice which tells me that the whole world is in his hands, that he has made it and that he sustains it.  This is a voice not heard in words, but heard in the awesome splendour of God's creation.  It reminds us of the voice Elijah expected to hear as he stood at the mouth of the cave waiting for God to speak:

Sometimes that is how we need to hear God's voice.  Sometimes we need to be reminded of the awesome majesty of God, sometimes we need to be reminded that God has created this world, that God holds it in his hand.  Sometimes we need to be humbled by the sheer majesty of God and to find our place within the universe he has made, maybe sometimes we need to be terrified by the voice of God lest our faith become too cosy and warm.  The psalmist is driven to worship when he hears the power and the majesty of the voice of God, "all in his Temple cry, 'Glory!' " (v.9)

But Isaiah heard a very different sound in the voice of God...

Here the voice of God is the calling of the people of God and an echo of a voice not yet heard. Here the voice of God is full of gentleness and compassion.  It is not a terrifying roar or an earth-splitting cymbal-clash, it isn't far away, but close at hand, a warming, healing whisper, like the still, small voice which restored Elijah's faith.

This is a gentle voice that will not break a bruised reed nor snuff out a smouldering wick; this is a determined voice that will not cease until justice is done; this is a liberating voice that will not rest until the captives are free and blind eyes are opened.  This voice is the calling of the people of God and an echo of a voice not yet heard. This is a voice not heard in words, it is the voice of God seen and touched and felt in the lives of the people of God.  "Go out and preach the gospel!  Use words if you have to."  (St. Francis)

It is the calling of the people of God, for they are the ones in whom this voice of God is heard. The community of faith is the place where God's word is heard in action.  This voice is our calling, our calling to be the community of the people of God where the voice of God, the Word of God is lived out in all its fulness.  This voice is our calling to be the community of the people of God where justice is fought for, where righteousness prevails, where healing is sought and life is found.

This voice is an echo of a voice not yet heard - the voice of God in Jesus Christ - the voice which through word and deed, 700 years after Isaiah had spoken, has shown us life in all its fulness.  The voice of God in Jesus Christ, the light coming into the world, and the darkness has never put it out.

And the voice of God is heard as Jesus is baptized.  "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matt 3:17)  Here, the words are significant.  The words come from Psalm 2 and Isaiah 42.  Psalm 2, speaking of the Messiah, the mighty King of God who was to come says, "This is my beloved son".  Isaiah 42, speaking of the Suffering Servant, says: "In whom I am well pleased."

At Jesus' baptism the voice of God is putting together these famous words of Old Testament hope and expectation and focussing them in the person of Jesus Christ.  In Jesus Christ they will see the Messiah King and in Jesus Christ they will see the Suffering Servant.  Jesus is the Servant King who will announce the dawning of the Kingdom of God.  

And Jesus sees it too.  In that moment he knew that he was the chosen one of God, and that the way ahead was the way of the cross.  He knew that he was chosen to be king, but that his throne would be a cross.  In that moment he knew that he was destined to be a conqueror, but that his only weapon was to be the power of suffering love.  In that moment there was set before Jesus both his task and the only way to the fulfilling of it.

Here God's voice is a voice of affirmation.  It's not the "it could be you!" of the lottery advert, it's the "it is you!" of God's commissioning.  It's the voice that Moses heard in the burning bush; It's the voice Samuel heard though he was still a young lad; it's the voice that Isaiah heard in the Temple to which he responded, "Here I am, send me!"; it's the voice Jeremiah heard, though he thought he was too young; it's the voice Paul heard on the road to Damascus.  It's the voice of God's calling.

It's not often a loud voice, but it is usually persistent; it's not often the voice we are expecting to hear, but it is always the voice we need to hear.  It is a  quiet voice, though, easily drowned out, easily shrugged off, easily missed.  I'm sure you've already heard that voice, many times in your life.  Only you could tell me how you have responded...

So, what does the voice of God sound like to you ... today?

Is it the frightening, awe-inspiring sound of the stormy power of nature - calling you to faith, to obedience, to worship?

Is it the gentle, compassionate, sound of God's Word in action - calling you to live out your faith in fighting for justice, healing the sick, setting the captives free?

Is it the quiet, persistent sound of God's commissioning - calling you to live your life as a faithful disciple of the Servant King, accepting the way of the cross, and taking in your hand the power of suffering love?

Let us pray...