Kabod
“When my glory passes by you, I will place you in the cleft of the rock and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” — Exodus 33:22
How many people here this morning remember those ancient times when dinosaurs roamed the face of the earth called the 1980s? If you remember that era, you may remember a classic television advertisement. (If you don’t remember it, you can find this commercial on youtube.)
The product in question is Memorex recording tapes and the commercials featured a person often called the “First Lady of Song,” vocalist Ella Fitzgerald. The tag line in the ads was: “Is it live or is it Memorex?”
Of course, the idea illustrated by the commercial was that Ella singing live could shatter a glass with her voice. But the quality of the Memorex tape was so perfect even a recording of Ella’s voice would give you the same result: a shattered glass.
Let me assure you this advertisement presented a serious scientific fact. If Ella’s voice live could shatter a glass, a good quality tape recording of her voice played through a high quality speaker system could do the same thing: shatter a glass.
But that leaves open the question: ‘Does a recording, no matter how accurate, offer the same experience as a live performance?’ Was there something about the innate charisma and warmth and vitality and genuineness and intimacy of an Ella Fitzgerald— or, to be more modern about it is there something about the innate charisma and warmth and vitality and genuineness and intimacy of a Lady Gaga or a Taylor Swift— something present in a live performance situation that a recording cannot possibly capture? (Slight pause.)
Many of you know I worked as a writer mostly in theater and you might, therefore, expect me to favor the live performance of theater over, for instance, movies or television. The short answer is: yes, you are right. I do favor live theater over movies or television. Even when television is being broadcast (quote, unquote) “live” as the euphemism has it— broadcasting things like baseball games. For me there is still a second hand quality to that experience.
Now, does that keep me from watching baseball games on the tube? No. But, would I rather be at the ballpark watching and experiencing these athletes.
And whether we’re talking about live performance in theater or live performance in sports or a live performance at a concert or a live performance for a club act, I think live performance, experiencing what is happening— in person, myself, live— is always a better experience. A recorded performance or a performance broadcast through some box or projected on a screen— these always feel like somehow flat— a second hand reality. (Slight pause.)
Now, I have seen, in person, a goodly share of baseball games in my times. And I’ve even been to a World Series game— only one game— but I have been to one. It was Game 2 of the 1986 Series at Shea Stadium, the Boston Red Sox against the New York Mets, a Championship eventually won by the Mets.
However, by the 7th inning of Game 2 the Mets were behind 7 to 3. It was a cold night, the temperature hovered in the high forties at best. The score was so lopsided, the stands began to empty out in the 7th inning.
My Dad was with me at the game. Given the temperature, we were both bundled up to protect from the cold. And we also had what might charitably be called nosebleed seats, way, way up in the left field stands and that wind was blowing good.
Dad was not really in the best of health so, trying to be sensitive and given the score and given that by the 7th inning many, many people were already involved in a mass exodus, streaming to their cars and to the Subway, I asked my Dad if he wanted to leave. All he said was: “This is a World Series game.” (Slight pause.)
Is it live or is it Memorex? (Slight pause.)
And in the 33rd Chapter of Exodus, we hear these words: “When my glory passes by you, I will place you in the cleft of the rock and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” (Slight pause.)
In Hebrew the word used for glory, as in ‘glory of God,’ is kabod— that’s the sermon title— “Kabod.” But what is it? What does kabod really mean? What does glory really mean?
Indeed, why is it in this theophany, in this description of the real presence of God, are we not given some concrete facts about God? Why are we not told what it feels like to be in the presence of God? And why does Scripture always rely on images and metaphor when describing God? Is it possible God is indescribable? (Slight pause.)
It is of interest that this passage, which speaks about the glory of God, once again, utters, proclaims the Name of God— ‘I AM.’ The Hebrew word we take to be this name is Yahweh. And Yahweh is a verb— ‘to be.’
So, this name of God is not a noun. Hence, ‘to be’ is, in one sense, not a name, not a naming, although God insists it is. And ‘to be’ is also clearly not just a verb. ‘To be’ implies and even is a state of being. (Slight pause.)
I want to suggest that this glory of God, this kabod, is also a state of being. In fact, I want to suggest the only way to described God is as a state of being. But how can you describe a state of being? It cannot be described.
Indeed, God cannot be recorded as if on tape. God cannot be reproduced. You cannot playback God. Memorex, or anything else, cannot fix the real presence of God. God can only be... experienced. (Slight pause.)
In Philippians Paul addresses something the Apostle labels as “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.” There are a number of translations for these words. Among them are these— the New International Version which says, “...the peace of God, which transcends all understanding...” The New Living Translation has it as, “...God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” The New American Standard Bible uses this: “...the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension...”
The International Standard Version says, “...God’s peace, which goes far beyond anything we can imagine...” The Aramaic Bible in Plain English favors “...God, Who is greater than every mind...” The Bible in Basic English uses “...the peace of God, which is deeper than all knowledge...” The Weymouth New Testament says, “...the peace of God, which transcends all our powers of thought...”
Now, what we in the 21st Century do not realize is this so called “peace of God” is not an absence of violence or an absence conflict. The peace of God is, rather, the actual and real presence of God in our midst. And Christian theology makes the claim that with the advent of Jesus, God is now with us and God will always be among us.
Hence, I think one point Paul is making in addressing the peace of God is that God is always in our midst. And needless to say, sometimes we don’t recognize or acknowledge the presence of God. But God is there. This, I think, is the “I AM” of God— always there, God who is a form of the verb “to be,” God who is a state of being.
Still, that leaves the question: ‘What is this kabod of God, this glory of God? How is it different than the presence of God? (Slight pause.)
This is what I think: it’s possible that the kabod of God, the glory of God is the active experience of God. And God cannot be experience second hand. God is not available on tape. So, I want to suggest that a prime place for us to experience God is in one another, as in ‘love your neighbor.’
And I also want to suggest that we can experience God first hand. We can experience God, among other places, in silence. And we can experience God in song. And we can experience God slim ripples of a breeze. And we can experience the soft, healing touch we know when we realize a memory of a loved one no longer with us still speaks.
In short, there are many ways we each experience the Glory of God, not simply the passive presence of God but the active Spirit of God moving in our lives. But the key is: that experience, our individual experience, is like the experience of no one else. And so, as our own experience, it cannot really be described. It is our experience, and our experience only.
Perhaps that is why an experience of God is not like Memorex. This experience of God is not second hand. And this experience of God is real. And this experience of God is full. And this experience of God is live, not Memorex, not tape. (Slight pause.)
What is kabod? What is the glory of God? We experience the glory of God when God acts in our lives. We experience the glory of God when we feel hope, when we know love, when we touch peace, when we find joy, when we taste freedom, when memory is real. Amen.
10/16/2011
United Church if Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Is it live or is it Memorex? Why do we need to worship God? After all, God is self sufficient. God does not need us to offer worship to God. I think we need to be in communal worship because it is an opportunity to experience God with each other and to experience God in our own individual way. But worship is live. It is not second hand. It is not Memorex.”
BENEDICTION: We have gathered, not just as a community, but as a community of faith. Let us respond to God, who is the true reality, in all that we are and say and do. Let the Holy Spirit dwell among us and may the peace of God which surpasses our understanding be with us this day and forever more. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment