Epiphany
Psalm 29; Isaiah 43:1-7; Luke 3:21-22
Voices are all around, calling out. Which ones are chosen by us to be heard? Which voices do we listen for and listen to in some sort of obedience or consent? Which voices have authority for our living?
Voices abound, surround, bombard within and without. Voices call us to buy, to do, to get going, to succeed; laden us with “shoulds”, “ought tos”, guilt. Voices insist, condemn, urge, plead, command, tempt, ridicule, suggest in both loud and in subtly suggestive ways. We hear them in our ears from the endless sound waves and we hear them in the noisy ramblings of our thoughts, and sometimes, if we listen carefully, we can hear a voice deep within our longing hearts.
Isn’t it interesting that parents, whether human or animal, can clearly pick out the voice of their child in the midst of multiple calling children. We distinguish voices easily that call on the phone. We recognize singers and actors by their unique sound. With patience and time we can identify different bird songs or calls, but it takes practice, choosing to listen and hear. How is it that we have lost the practice of hearing and distinguishing the voice of God?
Adam and Eve could hear the sound of God walking, in the garden, at the time of the evening breeze. (Did they hear the breeze as well?) Noah, Sarah, and Abraham heard God’s directions and promises. Jacob heard God’s speak in his dreams and Moses heard God in a burning bush. Samuel heard God calling in the night. Elijah heard the voice of God in shear silence. Jonah ran away from God’s voice. Many prophets repeated the word of God that came to them. Zechariah, Mary, Simeon all heard God speak through messengers of some sort. Clear listening seemed to be present at the baptism of Jesus in which a voice from heaven was heard by by-standers identifying Jesus as a child, a son of God, the Beloved, with whom God was well pleased.
No, we are not neurotic in hearing voices. Neuroses comes when we consistently chose unhelpful voices, or the imaged voices, the condemning and judgmental voices, failing to listen to the deeper inner voices often drowned out by the insistent negative voices. Can we quiet our own internal chattering mental voices enough to hear God within remind us, call to us, tell us who we are and who we are to become?
Can we trust the deeper inner voice that stirs quietly in our hearts? Can we hear God’s unbounded voice in all of life? Can we listen as scripture invites us to hear God speaking to us in multiple avenues, reminding us of divine presence, encouragement, and security?
Listen for the Word of God. Listen:
The voice of the Lord is over the waters (can you hear it?)
The voice of God thunders.
It is powerful and full of majesty.
The voice of God can break huge and ancient trees
and can make immensity skip.
God’s voice can be seen, flashing like fire,
or like and earthquake shaking the ground.
The voice of God is like a tornado, stripping , swirling.
The voice of the Lord causes listeners to shout, “Glory”.
(Psalm 29)
Can you hear and see God speak in the vastness and wonder of creation? Is it possible that God’s voice might be heard in the blustery snow storms and in gentle sunsets? In bird song and in silent blanketed forests? In the wonder of a snowflake and the exuberant love of a Golden Retriever? Are we listening enough to all things living, and even what we say is inanimate, to hear God speaking?
If we must listen only to human “words”, can we listen to those? “Thus says the Lord”, speaks the prophet and writes the scribe. Over and over again, if we will listen, sound the words, ‘thus says the Lord God’.
“Now thus says the LORD, who created you…who formed you
Do not be afraid.
I have called you by name, you are mine.
I will be with you…
I am the LORD you God, the Holy One, your savior.
You are precious in my sigh, honored,
And I love you…
Do not fear, for I am with you…”
(Isaiah 43)
Do you hear that? Are your ears pricked to listen? Is the ear of your heart attuned to receive this sounding of God? Can we receive and comprehend the meaning that we are precious, loved, not alone, called by name, belong to God, and need never to be afraid? Can we silence all the other voices to hear that Holy voice speak? What if we began each day with listening to that voice? What if we recognized that voice speaking the same to everyone and everything around us – How might we regard one another? Life? If we listened to God’s voice of love present and abounding for all?
“You are my Beloved, with you I am well pleased” are the words of God’s voice that we say were laid upon Jesus at his baptism. Jesus heard and embraced this voice of God. On the heels of his baptism Jesus listens to voice of Spirit, the Holy Spirit within, leading him into the wild places, the inner places. In that wilderness Jesus heard the taunting, tempting, demanding voices within the world, voices that would lead him away from his true self and true calling. While Jesus could hear those seductive voices as well, he did not listen, did not follow their direction. He kept the clear voice of 'the Beloved' as guide.
"You are my Beloved" is true of us as well. These are not just words from God’s voice to Jesus alone. The prophet, prophets remind us that these words of the voice from God are also upon us, precious and loved in God. We are beloved of God. Can you hear that voice speak? Henri Nouwen writes, “the true voice of love is a very soft and gentle voice speaking to me in the most hidden places of my being. It is not a boisterous voice, forcing itself on me and demanding attention… It is the voice that can only be heard by those who allow themselves to be touched.” (The Return of the Prodigal Son) Nouwen says that we leave our true home in God every time we lose faith in the voice that calls us ‘Beloved’, when we chose to follow other voices calling us and telling us how and who to be.
Do you listen for voices? Which ones are you attuned to? Which voices do you heed? Can you hear God speak all around you? In everything? In everyone? It takes practice in listening to the sound of God. It takes practice to filter the distracting noises, to center on the one voice. It takes practice quieting all the other obnoxious voices that demand attention. Just like the practice of making a violin speak clearly, so is the practice of listening for the clarity of God’s voice in and all around us.
Listen. God’s voice abounds. What is it saying to you, Beloved?
Your voice, O God, shouting, thundering, full of power, awesome, and sometimes unnoticed, is everywhere. It is over the water, in the heavens, among the trees, within your creatures, in the dawn and in the sunset, in the winter bird song and the stillness of the earth laden in snow. Everywhere your voice declares, “Glory”. You call out, “You are my Beloved. Help me to hear. Open my ears. Shut out the voices that detract. Let me hear clearly your song in me. And hearing, may I heed your voice. Amen (see 6.7.09)
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