EPIPHANY 1A – Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17 –

13 January 2008 – A sermon preached by The Rev. Peter A. Munson for St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Boulder, Colorado

 

The Most Powerful Voice in the World

 

INTRODUCTION – The Voices We Listen To

 

There are so many voices out there, and we can’t possibly listen to all of them. Which are the ones that you most often listen to?

 

I suppose for most of us, it begins with the people we are closest to. We listen – at least most of the time! – to our spouses, our children, our parents, our friends, maybe our siblings, perhaps even our teachers.

 

This time of year, perhaps we start listening more to the voices of politicians, especially those who are running for President or for Congress. Perhaps we like to listen to our favorite columnists in our favorite newspapers or magazines, or we check out what our favorite political pundit is saying on TV.

 

Who else gets our attention? If we are in the working world, it makes sense that we spend a certain amount of time listening to our boss and our co-workers. If we read books, whether fiction or non-fiction, we listen to the voice of that particular author, who has our attention for that particular time in our lives. From a world perspective, perhaps we pay attention to the folks who seem to have the most power, to the nations or groups who have access to weapons and who therefore have the potential of protecting us or harming us. If we are people of compassion, perhaps we listen for the voices of those who are suffering and often ignored, yet their voices cry out to anyone who might listen – whether those people are nearby or far away.

 

Or maybe at times we are so tired or so overwhelmed that all we really want to do is tune out these other voices in the world, and listen to a late-night comedian or catch the latest episode of our favorite TV show (if the writers are not on strike), play our favorite video game, text our friends, listen to the voices of those who sing our favorite songs, or read about the lives of the rich and famous (and often idiotic) people who grace the covers of popular magazines.

 

Perhaps – for some of us - the voice that we listen to frequently is that one called the Inner Critic, the one whose mission is to constantly remind us of how we don’t measure up.

 

Have I left anyone out? Who else do you listen to?

 

THE MOST POWERFUL VOICE

 

A few minutes ago we joined our voices together with a psalmist who wrote a hymn that is now 2,500 or 3,000 years old. That is one of the amazing things about church. No matter what else you have been reading or listening to during the week, on Sunday you can hear or even pray words that were written 3,000 years ago. I guess, by definition, you could say that these are words and voices that have stood the test of time.

 

Today we read or sang words that King David sang, words that might even have been written by King David himself. They are words that Isaiah and Jeremiah and Amos and Mary and Joseph and Simeon and Anna have read and studied and prayed. They are the same words that our Lord read and prayed and expounded upon. They are the same words that Peter and Paul and James and John and Bartholomew and Matthew and all the other apostles read. They are the words that Ambrose and Augustine and Aquinas and Francis and Clare and Teresa of Avila and Thomas Merton and Mother Teresa have read. I’m not sure exactly how life after death works, but I have this suspicion that these saints who have gone before us are still praying and singing the Psalms, and reading (or saying by heart) those other parts of the Bible that you and I read, and hear read.

 

I digress a little… Anyway, we heard anew the Psalmist’s voice today:

 

The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice,

The voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor…

The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;

The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness…

The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forest bare.

And in the temple of the Lord all are crying, “Glory!”

               (Psalm 29:4, 7-9)

 

Not to put myself above the Psalmist, but I would argue that the indefinite article should be changed to a definite one, with a superlative added. The voice of the Lord isn’t just a powerful voice. It is the most powerful voice. Notice that I did not say that it is necessarily the loudest voice. In a culture that at times can be so enamored with volume that you’d think we all might go totally crazy if any silence was allowed for… in a country where we get hundreds of TV channels and some people forget there is a mute button on the remote, or an “off” button, for that matter… in a city where, when I go to a baseball game, someone seems to think that between half-innings I must be entertained with a constant barrage of video images and noise… in a world where the next voice is just one ring or one text away on our cell phones…the most powerful voice in the world can very easily be ignored and pushed aside.

 

Why do I say it is the most powerful voice in the world? Well, for one thing, as I have mentioned, it is the only voice that stands the test of time – really stands the test of time.

 

But there is more to it than that. The most powerful voice in the world says different kinds of things, with more regularity, than any other voice in the world.

 

For example, can you hear The Most Powerful Voice saying to you as a individual, or to us as a community: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations… I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations…” (Isaiah 42:1, 6)

 

Can you hear The Most Powerful Voice saying to you the very same words that Jesus heard at his baptism? “This is my beloved son… this is my beloved daughter… with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

 

The Most Powerful Voice also says to you:

 

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1-3)

 

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

 

“You are the light of the world…” (Matthew 5:14) and “… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

 

The Most Powerful Voice in the world speaks through nature. The Lord speaks through burning bushes, through mountains and rivers and valleys and oceans, through sunrises and sunsets, through eagles that suddenly fly over our heads as we run along a trail or drive in our cars to work.

 

The Most Powerful Voice in the world speaks in the quiet places of our lives.

 

The Most Powerful Voice in the world speaks to us in the midst of our pain or hurt, in the midst of our embarrassment or guilt, in the midst of our suffering and loneliness. All of a sudden, The Most Powerful Voice comes alongside of us and utters words – not by yelling and screaming, but through a still, small voice - words of comfort and love, peace and reassurance… and we remember that this Voice is true to his word, that He is with us always, even to the end of time.

 

The Most Powerful Voice of all is the most powerful voice because day in and day out, year in and year out, century after century, millennium after millennium, His is the voice of love and grace and hope and faith.

 

CONCLUSION

 

I submit to you that you will not find another voice out there that is so consistently voicing these themes:

 

- His steadfast, undying love for you

- His grace, that is sufficient for you

- His design for your life and future, filled with meaning and hope

- And his deep faith in who you are, and what you can accomplish, when you trust in Him

 

I submit to you that we ignore The Most Powerful Voice in the world at our own peril, and to the peril of our entire planet.

 

You can listen to any voice that you want to listen to, and you will. Some of them are important voices, especially those voices that reverberate and are in tune with The Most Powerful Voice. Make no mistake. The voices that we listen to have a significant impact on our lives. If you spend a significant percentage of your time listening to your Inner Critic, for example, that will form you in a certain way.

 

Let us give The Most Powerful Voice of all His due. Let us remember that He does not force his way upon us, or scream for our attention. Let us remember that we hear this voice - this powerful voice of love and grace - when we make room for it, when we invite it into our lives. Let us remember - no matter what other voices we listen to - to take the time to listen to The Most Powerful Voice in the world. We won’t ever regret it.