Beyond Us

God's glory is beyond the capacity of the human being to describe, much less comprehend..." (Callie Plucket-Brewton on WorkingPreacher.org)

In Exodus 24:9-11 we find one example of how God "reveals" himself to a certain select group of people.  I put the word "reveals" in quotation marks (imagine air quotes) because He (God) isn't actually revealed at all, at least not in the Bible's description of the event.

"...They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was something like a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness."

To quote workingpreacher.org once again:

"Interestingly, in spite of the fact that the story notes that the [leaders of Israel] saw God, it does not describe God's physical presence but the brightness of the ground on which God was revealed to them, and even this description of the "pavement" is a little vague, using words, such as "something like" and the simile "like the very heaven" to describe it.

I'm getting ready to preach this Sunday on the scriptures assigned for "Transfiguration Sunday."  Many at the church I'll be preaching at are familiar with the Bible story of the "Transfiguration" of Jesus--that's the time when Jesus was shining like the sun.  But even then words such as "like" are needed.  It's impossible for human beings to describe God.

It's a gift, however, that God chooses to come to us with his love and guidance, especially in and through Jesus Christ.  The clearest evidence of God and the clearest "description" we can ever give is in what he does for us in Jesus' life, death and resurrection.  Everything else in terms of our relationship with God, through we experience Him often, everything else is beyond our ability to describe, at least in human words.

Therefore, the proper response is worship.  And, at North Central University, that's where I'm headed now, to chapel, to worship and praise God.

www.equalsharing.com