Tags
Awe, Baptism, Christian life, Fear of God, Holy Communion, Isaiah 66:2, The cross, Wonder, Word of God
Day 6
Friday in the first week of Lent
Isaiah 66:2
But this is the one to whom I will look,
….to the humble and contrite in spirit,
….who trembles at my word.
This word ‘trembles’ speaks to fear. Israel trembles at Sinai when the mountain is covered in cloud and flashing fire, and they hear the blast of a trumpet. Even the mountain itself trembles. Gideon pares down his troops by sending away those whose hearts are quaking. The heart of Eli trembles for the Ark of God when it is taken into battle against the Philistines. The elders of Bethlehem tremble when the prophet Samuel arrives, not knowing whether he brings the judgment of God or the wrath of the king. And when the prophets speak of that day when God comes to set right the world, we hear the promise: “and no one shall make them afraid” – no one shall make them ‘tremble’.
But the presence of the words ‘humble’ and ‘contrite’ in this verse suggests that trembling at God’s word means something more than just fear. It suggests a people humbled by the failures of the past and fearful of traveling that way again. It suggests a people who feel something of Sinai, something of the earth-shaking power of the divine voice, and the majesty of the divine mercy.
We can talk easily about the cross, but what does it mean to truly stand before that frightening scene of utter brutality and perfect love? Should we not tremble? Should we not tremble with awe before such simple words as “This is my body, given for you.” Should we not tremble at the baptismal font where death and resurrection happen, and we are marked with the cross of Christ forever?
Should we not tremble at the laying on of hands, at the anointing for healing, at every word and prayer? We stand in the presence of the ineffable. We stand in the presence of the first word and final song. We stand in the presence of perfect love. Here is the voice that calls forth Lazarus from the grave. Here is the voice that heals the wounded and restores the troubled. Here is the voice that forgives sinners, summons the unwanted, and challenges hypocrisy. Here is the voice that raises up kings and casts down tyrants and makes of us a holy priesthood. Before such a word we must tremble, tremble as when our firstborn child, fresh from the womb, is placed in our arms, tremble at both the magnitude of the gift and the magnitude of the responsibility.
Eternal Word, Enduring Mercy
guide our heart and lead our way
that we may always treasure your word.
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Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
© David K Bonde, 2021, All rights reserved