Pastor Tom Johnson, January 13, 2013
King David must have been reflecting on the many Scriptures where God speaks over and through water. “The voice of the Lord is upon the waters,” he says, “the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.”
You’ll remember that Scripture begins with the voice of the Lord upon the water. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light.’” The voice hovered over the water. And by the water and the spoken word, God created the heavens and the earth.
The voice of the Lord’s displeasure was upon the water that flooded this world The voice of the his hope was upon the water that saved Noah and his family. The voice of God’s mercy was upon the misty water and rainbow that promised never to send a flood again. The voice the Lord’s justice was upon the water of the Red Sea that drowned Pharaoh’s army thirsty to shed innocent blood. The voice of deliverance was upon the water that parted to make a way for God’s people on dry ground. The voice of the Lord’s promise was upon the water of the River Jordan as it heaped up to welcome the Hebrews to the land flowing with milk and honey. Can any of us fault God for choosing to speak to us upon the waters? It seems to be a pattern David recognizes in redemptive history—that God likes to use water to deliver his message.
Geologists tell us that water does the best job in carving out the rock to reveal the ancient stories of the earth. The Grand Canyon with its deep caverns and layers of earth and rock is a manuscript of ages long forgotten. We can only hear the voice of this rich history because of the water. Just so, God has let water carve a path through the Scriptures so that we can better hear his voice and experience his power.
David was remembering and celebrating God’s activity through water in the past. But he was also foreshadowing and predicting God’s activity in the future. “The voice of the Lord is upon the waters,” he observes. The voice of the Lord’s prophet will be upon the River Jordan preparing a way for the Messiah. The voice cries out upon the water, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!” The voice in the wilderness is knee deep in the water of the Jordan when he preaches a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People come from all directions to come to the water and hear a word of forgiveness for them. The voice of the Lord himself speaks over the water pouring over Jesus’ head. The heavens open and the voice thunders, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” The voice of the Lord speaks from the mouth of Peter and over the water when three thousand are baptized on Pentecost. They receive forgiveness and adoption. Through the water and the Word God washes away their sin and claims them as his own daughters and sons. In Revelation, the voice of the Lord comes to John as the sound of rushing water. John writes, “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me…and his voice was like the roar of many waters” (Rev 1:12,15). Also in Revelation, the voice of the Lord’s heavenly choir reverberates over the water. John says, “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder” (Rev 14:2; 19:6).
The pages of my hymnal have been permanently and wonderfully warped by the water of Baptism over the last six years. The service of Holy Baptism have the ripples of water in them. But those ripples have found their way to the service of Confirmation, Holy Matrimony, and have begun to work on the pages of the Funeral Service. It is a wonderful reminder of the indelible mark that the Water and the Word have made in our lives as Christians. The water is working its way through the pages of my hymnal just like water has made its path through Holy Scripture. And so the voice of the Lord still speaks through the water. The voice of the Lord upon the water of our Baptism proclaims that we have been washed clean and have been forgiven of all our sins. The voice of the Lord upon our baptismal water adopts us as his beloved children.
No comments:
Post a Comment