"god, god, God!"

Sermon by Pastor David Layman

August 6, 2006

Genesis 28:10-17
John 1:14-18

N.T. Wright points out that there are three basic options when it comes
to talking about God. The first option is pantheism: the belief that God
is everywhere, and everything is God. This belief was popular in the
ancient Greek and Roman worlds, and its making a comeback today. Some
forms of New Age religion believe that there is a divine force which
permeates everything, and the task at hand is for human beings to get in
touch with the divine within themselves, and in the world around them.
The New Age believer who thinks that God is within them, rates a small
g for god. Personally, Ive never seriously been tempted to worship
myself. Early on in life, I had an older brother and sister to point out
ways I wasnt perfect! I quickly learned I needed the power and
forgiveness of a great God beyond me.

A consistent pantheism is hard to maintain. While on our mission trip to
Mexico, we held Vacation Bible School from 5:15 to approximately 7:15.
After the children had departed, and wed put things away, and join in a
prayer circle. It was getting dark, and the mosquitoes came out. We
would stand in a prayer circle and join hands. It was as if the
mosquitoes used this as a signal, saying to one another, Look, theyre
holding hands with their eyes closed. Now is the time to attack! And
during the prayers, one could feel others in the circle trying to shift
their weight and rub one leg against the other, attempting to chase away
mosquitoes. Insect repellent didnt seem to do much good. I thought I
heard one mosquito say to another Isnt this nice! Theyre serving us
cream on top of the meat! A consistent pantheist, believing that there
is divinity in everything, has to deal with mosquitoes, hurricanes,
cancer cells, tsunamis. A consistent pantheist has to come to grips with
evil. The small g god of pantheism is no god at all!

The second option when it comes to God is what was popular in colonial
America: Deism. God is seen as a clock maker, who created a clock, set
it in motion, and no longer plays any role in the affairs of the natural
world. Because of this, there is no point in praying to a God who is
distant and removed from creation. Unlike pantheism, God is not within
everything. In fact, Gods space and ours are far apart. The great poet
Lucretius, who lived in the century before Jesus, developed the teaching
of the ancient philosopher Epicurus. The idea was that human beings
should get used to being alone in the world. The gods will not
intervene, either to help or to harm. The best thing to do is to enjoy
life as best one can. (N.T. Wright, SIMPLY CHRISTIAN: WHY CHRISTIANITY
MAKES SENSE, Harper San Francisco, 2006, p. 62.) The Epicureans came to
realize that eating, drinking and being merry didnt work, because one
tended to have hangovers, weight problems and regret from such a life.
So they developed a philosophy of moderation in the pursuit of
individual happiness. Dont overdo it, enjoy the world in moderation.
Deism and Epicureanism are popular beliefs today. Many in our day will
say they believe in God, but the idea of being able to have a personal
relationship with this God catches them by surprise. One cant have a
personal relationship with a remote God. Why get out of bed on Sunday
morning to worship a remote God? Doesnt make sense to Deists. Likely,
all of us have a number of neighbors who are Deists. A god who created
the earth but has since taken a long vacation rates a small g as well.
Such a god is not around to help us in our darkness and despair.

A Deist can recognize that some great power must have been behind the
beauty and mystery of creation. And in times of tragedy and suffering,
God may seem to be far away. Many hesitate to deny the existence of God.
They dont want to offend or burn bridges, in case there is a God. But
God doesnt seem to be close and personal to them. Perhaps theyve
organized their lives around family, work, pleasure. They try to live
good lives. But they dont pray, except perhaps to toss out a few Hail
Mary prayers in a desperate circumstance. They dont attend worship.
They live as practicing Deists. Theyre all around us!

Option three is what we find within the Bible. Heaven and earth are not
one and the same. The serpent in the garden is not God. Nor is the
forbidden fruit God. Adam and Eve were not gods. The Bible does not
advocate pantheism. Nor do the Scriptures proclaim Deism. Although the
Bible tells us there is definitely a distance between God and humankind,
there are times God connects with the world and the people He has
created. Abraham hears God calling him to leave his homeland and begin a
new people. Jacob sees a ladder between heaven and earth, with angels
going up and down. Moses discovers holy ground, and removes his sandals.
Heaven and earth connect. Moses goes up Mount Sinai and God gives Moses
the law. The Hebrew people are told to make an Ark of the Covenant, a
wooden box containing the stone tablets of the law, and house it in a
Tent of Meeting, a portable place of worship while the Hebrew children
wander in the wilderness on their way to the promised land. A pantheist
has no particular place to go to experience God, as they believe God is
everywhere. A Deist believes in God, but believes God is so far away,
theres no connecting. Why think about talking to God, the Deist asks,
when God doesnt have a cell phone, and wouldnt answer even if we knew
the number?

The Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament, speak of a God who created the
world, and has sought to maintain a dynamic, intimate relationship with
it and us. When Adam and Even sinned by partaking of the forbidden
fruit, God came calling to hold them accountable. It was God who spoke
to Noah in a time of great evil, and made plans for a remnant to be
saved from the coming judgment. It was God who provided for Joseph when
made a slave in Egypt, and God who raised up and then spoke to Moses. It
was God who led the Hebrew children from slavery in Egypt to the
promised land. Throughout the period of the Judges, and the Kings, the
judgment of division upon Israel and Judah, the exile to Babylonia and
later return, God continued to relate to his often rebellious people.

Nowhere does Heaven and earth intersect more clearly than in Jesus, the
Word made flesh. Its a bold claim that Christianity makes: that in
One person, God truly did become incarnate. It wasnt just those of long
ago that had a hard time believing this. Many do today as well. We have
good news to declare. There is a God. And God is not us! There are times
when Gods presence and humankind intersect. It wasnt because humankind
took the initiative, building a tower to reach the heavens. That tower
of Babel led to strife and division. It was because God took the
initiative, becoming flesh in the life of Jesus.

And the earthly Jesus did something special before going to the cross to
give his life for our sin. He took the material substance of bread, and
called it his body. He took a cup of wine, and called it his blood. He
promised to be present with us when we gather together to worship him.
After His terrible death, God raised him up, and He appeared to His
followers in the breaking of bread. The risen Christ calls upon us to
break this bread and drink this cup in remembrance of Him, until He
comes again!

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