Manifestations of Light
“Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the tablets of the covenant unaware that the skin on his face was radiant from speaking with God.” — Exodus 34:29
In the professional theater circles in which I once traveled, this phrase was often used to explain how to get things done in the real world and how things got done in the real world: “Everybody’s got to have a Rabbi.” The implication is that you’ve got to know someone with power or with access to those in power or someone who simply has the money to buy power to get something done, anything done.
I, myself, experienced two interesting examples of that “having a Rabbi” phenomena, one with a favorable outcome, one with a not so favorable outcome, while working in professional theater. Let me tell you first about the one which was, at least from my point of view, the not so favorable outcome.
Having written a play and having submitted it to a Broadway producer, I was invited to meet with that producer. As these things go, he was a small time producer. But he was a producer. So, needless to say, my hopes about getting that play produced were high.
In the course of the meeting, the first thing the producer did was stroke my ego, telling me how good the play was. Then he said if I was the son of a celebrity— and he named a fairly well known person— he said if I was the son of a celebrity, even if the play was not good, he would have no trouble getting the play produced because, based just on that celebrity’s name— and notice, this is the son we’re taking about, not the celebrity— based just on that celebrity’s name he could raise money. But, since I was not the offspring of a celebrity, he probably could not raise the money.
Here’s the translation of that: his reputation was not big enough to, on his own, raise the full amount of capital necessary. He needed to package the play with big name stars or get bigger name producers than him or money people to help out.
So, perhaps you’re wondering, if he was not going to try to produce this play, why even meet with me? Here’s what I think: since he thought the play was good, he was trying to see if I knew anyone with enough clout, a big name actor or financial person who could help. In other words, if I had known the Rabbi he needed, we’d both be in business.
Now, let me tell you about the other side of this “knowing the Rabbi” stuff. A couple of years later, at least as theater work goes, I had a nine-to-five kind of job. It was at the theatrical charity known as the Actors’ Fund of America. The Academy Award wining actress, Beatrice Straight, was on the Board of the Fund.
Now, this was nearly forty years ago and back then Beatrice Straight had a fairly high profile. Because of my job at the Actors’ Fund, I was invited to a dinner meeting at her house. She was the Board member in charge of a project on which the Fund was working and in which I was playing a key role.
It was, perhaps, a little forward of me, but in the course of pleasantries, I mentioned that I had tried to contact the Executive Director of a well known non-profit theater company, to just try to rent space for a reading of one of my plays in their facility. But I had heard nothing back— no letter of rejection, no phone call.
I told Beatrice about it and explained there would be no commitment on the part of the company other than opening the doors for the reading. She smiled, nodded and said, “Let me call.” (Slight pause.)
I will never forget this: the next morning, before 10:00 a.m. (and in professional theater 10:00 a.m. is about as early as anyone calls anyone to do business) the next morning, before 10:00 a.m. I got a call from that very same Executive Director, herself, not the assistant, but the Executive Director, asking what she could do for me. (Slight pause.) Everybody’s got to have a Rabbi. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work known as Exodus: “Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the tablets of the covenant unaware that the skin on his face was radiant from speaking with God.” (Slight pause.)
The association of God and light is not just an idea of Judaism and not just an idea of Christianity. The association of God and light dates from the beginnings of recorded history.
So, what does it mean to say God is light? Perhaps it means God is someone we cannot describe. After all, by definition God is more wonderful than we can imagine. So, if we could describe God, then God would not be God.
Hence, when we apply the word light to God or even when we apply any other word to God, any word from Rock to Father— God is my Rock, God the Father— these are not really descriptions of God. These words cannot describe God in any way. These are metaphors.
Indeed, I looked at a dictionary and this was the first definition of metaphor (quote): “a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable, as in ‘A mighty fortress is our God’” (unquote). I am not making that up. The first definition of metaphor used the example “A mighty fortress is our God.” (Slight pause.)
All of which might lead us to ask, what is really being addressed here both in the reading from Exodus and in the reading from Luke? Clearly both use the metaphor of light. Perhaps what all these words are attempting to grasp, to describe, is something of the reality of the presence of God. (Slight pause.)
One of the problems with reading only sections of Scripture on a Sunday morning is the congregation does not get the full context. In the chapter before the reading from Exodus, these words are written (quote): “Yahweh, God would speak to Moses face to face as friends would speak to one another”— as friends would speak to one another. (Slight pause.)
Here’s a thought: our belief is that in Jesus, God is revealed. Additionally, it is our belief that in Jesus we are given an assurance God understands our lives, through Jesus we are drawn into a personal relationship with God, because of Jesus we are given a way to deeply understand God.
Further, the continuing message of Jesus, throughout the Gospels is this: God is real. God is near. God is present. And, indeed, we believe Jesus is the embodiment of that presence. (Slight pause.) Well, what might all of this mean? (Slight pause.)
What we Christians believe is that each of us does not need a Rabbi. We Christians believe we are all equal members of the Priesthood of Believers. We Christians believe we do not need a priest, prelate, presbyter, pontiff or pastor as a go between with God.
Why do we believe that? The message of Jesus: God is present; God is near; God is real. (Slight pause.)
And, yes, God is light. And light is a wonderful metaphor. But here is where the rubber meets the road: if, as Jesus said over and over and over, God is near, God is present, God is real, then we need to be open to God and to that presence and to that reality.
We need to be open to the light God offers. We need to, ourselves, strive to reflect of the light of God.
How? We need to participate in the light, the joy, the hope, the peace, the wisdom, the truth, the freedom, the love offered by God. We need to live it.
How is that done? We need to strive to spread that light, joy, hope, peace, wisdom, truth, freedom, love which is offered by God. And again, we need to live it. (Slight pause.)
I said this moments ago: we Christians are a Priesthood of Believers. Some might think that is a great responsibility. I beg to differ. To spread the light, joy, hope, peace, wisdom, truth, freedom, love offered by God is a great, great privilege.
After all, what is our claim? Our claim is that we know God. We know God to be near, present, real. And so, no, we do not need a go between. We do not need a Rabbi. God is near, present, real. Amen.
02/14/2010
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “The light of God— does that excite you? Not you (the pastor motions indicating everyone). Does that excite you (pointing to an individual with each ‘you’) and you and you, because it cannot excite all of us as a group unless it excites each of us.”
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