A couple
of weeks ago, there was a powerful storm on the
The voice of the LORD breaks the
cedar trees;
The LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
The voice of the makes the oak trees
writhe
And strips the forest bare.
I saw a YouTube video
of the results and it was pretty much as the psalmist described. What he or she wanted to explain to us is the great power of God. A member of
our psalm class pointed out, science gives even greater witness to the power of God in the theory of the
theory of the big bang. According to
scientists, in a few nano seconds, in an explosion of unimaginable proportions,
the whole universe with all its matter and energy was born. Scientists tell us
The universe has expanded into its current state from a
primordial condition of enormous density and temperature. The term is also used
in a narrower sense to describe the fundamental "fireball" that
erupted at or close to an initial time-point in the history of our observed space-time. Either way that
is tremendous power--so much so that we can only bend our knees in silent
adoration of God's absolute force.
The power of God is always absolute in the Bible, but how
does that power manifest itself in our world?
Moses witnessed it in the burning bush a d the parting of the red
sea. The psalmist in a terrifying storm
that came savagely from the
Here is my servant, whom I
uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul
delights;...a bruised reed he will not break and a dimly burning wick he will
not quench.
Isaiah reveals that God manifests his power in the form of a
servant, and not only a servant, but a gentle servant.
I had a Jesuit superior, a provincial, as the call him and
his name was Tom Clancy who described himself as God's bulldozer. Well friends God doesn't have bull
dozers. God works in Mysterious ways and
as high as the heavens are above the earth so high are God's ways above our
ways. God reveals his own power in the
lowliness of a servant who comes to open the eyes of the blind and to bring the
prisoner from the dungeon.
This passage from Isaiah God reveals his big plan for
humanity. God uses the lowly and the
weak to liberate us. God frees us. God lets us go. And the instrument which God uses is weak and
lowly.
We are in the midst of the season of Epiphany, the season of
revelation, in God reveals even more clearly that he wills to save and free us
by a servant. The servant of servants is
Jesus. Jesus humbles himself by coming
to John for baptism. They argue and John speaks the truth. He is unworthy to baptize Jesus his Lord.
JESUS reveals his lowliness and his greatness. He is the servant and when he
reveals his lowliness, the heavens open and the almighty voice of God reveals
our servant is His Son.
This
thing we do today in remembrance of Him calls us to be His co-workers, to be
servants of one another. There is no room for us here if we are too big to
serve one another.
For the rest of this
season of Epiphany, we will hear more about the way God reveals power in Jesus
and we will most the sermon on the Mount.
Jesus upon the Spirit descended will teach "Blessed are the poor in
spirit". He invites us to share in
his Spirit as we get to know more deeply.