"How Old Is God?"
Sermon preached at Edgemont Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on Christ the King Sunday, November 27, 2006 by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp. Sermon based on Revelation 1:4b-8 and 12-20.
When I was a child playing baseball there was a boy on my team that I eventually became friends with. However, our friendship didn’t start off too well. You see, this boy’s father would help our team out by coming to practice and pitching with us, to help warm our arms up. He would sometimes bat some balls to us so that we might practice our fielding. Needless to say, on the second day of practice, I was speaking to this boy and said innocently; "It sure is nice to have your grandfather helping us out." Now, I don’t know if my father at the time just looked younger in comparison to his father; but, for some reason, I thought he was his grandfather - he just looked older. As I said, we eventually became friends in time. I guess I’ll have to find another job if and when I decide to join the circus, because I have never been good as guessing people’s ages and I sure won’t venture to guess a person’s weight, especially a woman’s.
I came across a story a while back of a church men’s group that met for lunch one Saturday. The group was comprised of men of all ages. The speaker was talking about the importance of forgiveness. He said, "The Lord has given us the command to forgive the wrongs of others, but he has not given me the ability to forget them!" From the back of the room, an elderly man interrupted the speaker and said; "Just wait a few more years and you will have no trouble forgetting them."
Perhaps some of you can relate to that! Along with old age comes forgetfulness, bad eyesight, aches and pains - it’s a part of life. And it sure makes it hard to adhere to that saying; "Grow old gracefully." In fact, some might claim that there is no grace in growing old.
But how old do you think God is? Is God a baby? Perhaps a child? Maybe a teenager? Or maybe God is in the prime of his life and is a young adult. Or, God could be a wise elder. There’s an old proverb which says; "There are no right answers to a wrong question." And certainly, the question; "How old do you think God is?" is a wrong question to which there is no right answer. In the wonderful and intriguing Book of Revelation, God is spoken of as the One "who was and who is and who is to come." We also see in our Scripture Lesson this morning, that among other things, the Lord God identifies himself as "the Alpha and Omega," which are, of course, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Thus our Lord is saying, that as far into the past as we can go and as far into the future as we can imagine, we’ll find God there - God is eternal - and what a profound thought that is!
Someone has written; "God is timeless, yet related always to every time." And certainly that is true; especially when we consider what our Scripture Lesson says pertaining to God who was and who is and who is to come.
He was! "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God..." This is a reference to Jesus - Jesus is the Word, the very logos "idea" or "expression" of God, who was and is and is to come. Jesus’ origin doesn’t begin in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago, that is when he became flesh, but he was in the beginning - co-existing with God the Father and God the Spirit. The Greek word used to describe Jesus as being in the "image" of God in Colossians 1 expresses this. Jesus is the eikon "image" of God. He didn’t come as a representative of God - he was and is God - in the flesh.
Some Christians believe in the God who was - the God of the past, the God revealed in Scripture. But friends, we are not to look back to God’s past actions simply to satisfy our interest in history. Or, as a testimony of the way God used to be. Rather, our purpose in looking back to God’s acts in the past is to help us look up and look in and to learn that this same God is with us today! As the Apostle Paul wrote, pertaining to the Old Testament, "These things happened to serve as an example to us, and were written down to instruct us" (I Corinthians 10:11).
I came across a story a while back of a church men’s group that met for lunch one Saturday. The group was comprised of men of all ages. The speaker was talking about the importance of forgiveness. He said, "The Lord has given us the command to forgive the wrongs of others, but he has not given me the ability to forget them!" From the back of the room, an elderly man interrupted the speaker and said; "Just wait a few more years and you will have no trouble forgetting them."
Perhaps some of you can relate to that! Along with old age comes forgetfulness, bad eyesight, aches and pains - it’s a part of life. And it sure makes it hard to adhere to that saying; "Grow old gracefully." In fact, some might claim that there is no grace in growing old.
But how old do you think God is? Is God a baby? Perhaps a child? Maybe a teenager? Or maybe God is in the prime of his life and is a young adult. Or, God could be a wise elder. There’s an old proverb which says; "There are no right answers to a wrong question." And certainly, the question; "How old do you think God is?" is a wrong question to which there is no right answer. In the wonderful and intriguing Book of Revelation, God is spoken of as the One "who was and who is and who is to come." We also see in our Scripture Lesson this morning, that among other things, the Lord God identifies himself as "the Alpha and Omega," which are, of course, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Thus our Lord is saying, that as far into the past as we can go and as far into the future as we can imagine, we’ll find God there - God is eternal - and what a profound thought that is!
Someone has written; "God is timeless, yet related always to every time." And certainly that is true; especially when we consider what our Scripture Lesson says pertaining to God who was and who is and who is to come.
He was! "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God..." This is a reference to Jesus - Jesus is the Word, the very logos "idea" or "expression" of God, who was and is and is to come. Jesus’ origin doesn’t begin in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago, that is when he became flesh, but he was in the beginning - co-existing with God the Father and God the Spirit. The Greek word used to describe Jesus as being in the "image" of God in Colossians 1 expresses this. Jesus is the eikon "image" of God. He didn’t come as a representative of God - he was and is God - in the flesh.
Some Christians believe in the God who was - the God of the past, the God revealed in Scripture. But friends, we are not to look back to God’s past actions simply to satisfy our interest in history. Or, as a testimony of the way God used to be. Rather, our purpose in looking back to God’s acts in the past is to help us look up and look in and to learn that this same God is with us today! As the Apostle Paul wrote, pertaining to the Old Testament, "These things happened to serve as an example to us, and were written down to instruct us" (I Corinthians 10:11).
Yes, God is the God of the past - God who was, is also the God who IS! God is active now in our lives. We have the power and presence of his Spirit with us as an assurance of that promise - that God isn’t just the God who was, but also the God who IS!
And God is also the God who is to come! If we could look into the furthest reaches of the future, we would find God there. And this promise should give us not only comfort but hope. God is in control! He has promised that "he who has begun a great work in us" - God who has begun a great work in and through creation, "will see it through to it completion." God doesn’t start a project he cannot finish! God sees his projects through. Sure, you and I don’t know what the future holds, but we can rest assured and know with certainty that the one who holds the future is the one who is holding our hand.
I find it interesting that the Book of Revelation is a wonderful way to finish the story that began in Genesis. All that began in the Book of Beginnings (Genesis) is consummated in the Book of Unveiling (Revelation). In Genesis the heaven and earth were created, in Revelation we read of a new heaven and a new earth. In Genesis the sun and the moon appear, in Revelation we read that there is no need for the sun or the moon, for Christ is the Light! In Genesis there is a garden, in Revelation there is a holy city. In Genesis there is the marriage of the first adam - man, in Revelation there is the marriage supper of the second adam - Christ! In Genesis we see the beginning of sin, in Revelation sin is done away with, and in the midst of it all is God - Elohem! .
But these verses give us a picture of our Lord. We see that John describes our Lord as being "dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet." Keep in mind, flowing robes were a token of dignity, respect and honor. It was also the garment of the high priest in the Old Testament - thus reminding of that Christ is now our High Priest - our Mediator. John says that his "head and hair were as white as wool" - this is probably where we get that image of God as being an "old man" - but certainly it is validation that the Lord is the Ancient of Days! White, of course, symbolizes the Lord’s nature as being pure and holy. I love John’s description of our Lord’s eyes, which were like "blazing fire." What an image! But certainly this is perhaps symbolizing intelligence - bringing things to light. Like two lasers, the eyes of Christ look with a penetrating gaze into the depths of his people. His "feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace," which symbolizes judgment. His "voice was like the sound of rushing waters," symbolizing his power and presence, which are ever flowing. In his "right hand were the stars" the stars symbolize his messengers; here, of course, he is talking about the messengers of the church, thus symbolizing his power and control over the church. He is, as Paul reminds us, the Lord of the Church - Head of the Church! And "out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword," the symbol of judgment and authority coming from his mouth - his word!
So overpowering was this vision that we are told that when John saw the Glorious One, he fell at his feet as though he were dead. But Christ’s words were reassuring. He said he was the living one, and though he had been dead, he is alive forevermore, and holds the keys of death and Hades. Christ is the author of life and death! We do not have the usual picture of Christ starting in Bethlehem and ending at the Mount of Olives here; rather, we see him as the Exalted Christ, Lord of all - Alpha and Omega, First and Last, Beginning and the End, who was and is and is to come!
I love the interpretation of the scroll or book that John sees in Christ’s hand in the 10th chapter of Revelation. We are told that it is the Lord who is the only one found worthy enough to open it. The book contains Christ’s authority for reclaiming the "sea" or, better yet, the people and the "land" for himself.
When Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas and launched on an island here in the Western Hemisphere, he got off his ship and went to the shore and planted the flag of Spain claiming the island in the name of the queen of Spain who had sent him on his journey. It appears that the same method has been used from time to time. When men came to unoccupied territories, they claimed it. And so, with this scroll or book in hand - the title deed of the earth, if you will, our Lord places his right foot on the sea and his left foot upon the earth, and with a great voice reclaims that which is his. That’s the image John gives us here in chapter 10 of Revelation. As Creator, this world and all that is within it belongs to him - he gave his life for it.
When we commit ourselves to God in faith, God changes us continually. God continually engages us a relationship with him - one that is ever evolving and growing. God isn’t just the God who was, he is also the God who is and who is to come, and in his coming, he will make all things new - paradise restored. Until then, may we live in the hope and assurance that God is with us always!
And God is also the God who is to come! If we could look into the furthest reaches of the future, we would find God there. And this promise should give us not only comfort but hope. God is in control! He has promised that "he who has begun a great work in us" - God who has begun a great work in and through creation, "will see it through to it completion." God doesn’t start a project he cannot finish! God sees his projects through. Sure, you and I don’t know what the future holds, but we can rest assured and know with certainty that the one who holds the future is the one who is holding our hand.
I find it interesting that the Book of Revelation is a wonderful way to finish the story that began in Genesis. All that began in the Book of Beginnings (Genesis) is consummated in the Book of Unveiling (Revelation). In Genesis the heaven and earth were created, in Revelation we read of a new heaven and a new earth. In Genesis the sun and the moon appear, in Revelation we read that there is no need for the sun or the moon, for Christ is the Light! In Genesis there is a garden, in Revelation there is a holy city. In Genesis there is the marriage of the first adam - man, in Revelation there is the marriage supper of the second adam - Christ! In Genesis we see the beginning of sin, in Revelation sin is done away with, and in the midst of it all is God - Elohem! .
But these verses give us a picture of our Lord. We see that John describes our Lord as being "dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet." Keep in mind, flowing robes were a token of dignity, respect and honor. It was also the garment of the high priest in the Old Testament - thus reminding of that Christ is now our High Priest - our Mediator. John says that his "head and hair were as white as wool" - this is probably where we get that image of God as being an "old man" - but certainly it is validation that the Lord is the Ancient of Days! White, of course, symbolizes the Lord’s nature as being pure and holy. I love John’s description of our Lord’s eyes, which were like "blazing fire." What an image! But certainly this is perhaps symbolizing intelligence - bringing things to light. Like two lasers, the eyes of Christ look with a penetrating gaze into the depths of his people. His "feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace," which symbolizes judgment. His "voice was like the sound of rushing waters," symbolizing his power and presence, which are ever flowing. In his "right hand were the stars" the stars symbolize his messengers; here, of course, he is talking about the messengers of the church, thus symbolizing his power and control over the church. He is, as Paul reminds us, the Lord of the Church - Head of the Church! And "out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword," the symbol of judgment and authority coming from his mouth - his word!
So overpowering was this vision that we are told that when John saw the Glorious One, he fell at his feet as though he were dead. But Christ’s words were reassuring. He said he was the living one, and though he had been dead, he is alive forevermore, and holds the keys of death and Hades. Christ is the author of life and death! We do not have the usual picture of Christ starting in Bethlehem and ending at the Mount of Olives here; rather, we see him as the Exalted Christ, Lord of all - Alpha and Omega, First and Last, Beginning and the End, who was and is and is to come!
I love the interpretation of the scroll or book that John sees in Christ’s hand in the 10th chapter of Revelation. We are told that it is the Lord who is the only one found worthy enough to open it. The book contains Christ’s authority for reclaiming the "sea" or, better yet, the people and the "land" for himself.
When Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas and launched on an island here in the Western Hemisphere, he got off his ship and went to the shore and planted the flag of Spain claiming the island in the name of the queen of Spain who had sent him on his journey. It appears that the same method has been used from time to time. When men came to unoccupied territories, they claimed it. And so, with this scroll or book in hand - the title deed of the earth, if you will, our Lord places his right foot on the sea and his left foot upon the earth, and with a great voice reclaims that which is his. That’s the image John gives us here in chapter 10 of Revelation. As Creator, this world and all that is within it belongs to him - he gave his life for it.
When we commit ourselves to God in faith, God changes us continually. God continually engages us a relationship with him - one that is ever evolving and growing. God isn’t just the God who was, he is also the God who is and who is to come, and in his coming, he will make all things new - paradise restored. Until then, may we live in the hope and assurance that God is with us always!
posted by Pastor Christopher @ 8:29 PM
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