The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. (Psalm 29:4)

One of the things that has plagued me over the years is my hearing. It’s not that I’m deaf in any way; it’s just that I find it hard to pick up words sometimes - especially when there’s a lot of background noise or other conversations going on. Maybe you have that problem too. It was always a problem when I was listening to music as a kid - I was pretty much OK with The Beatles because usually when they sang the words were very clear. The Rolling Stones, though: maybe it is just me but half the time I couldn’t make out a word Mick Jagger was singing. what you can say, though, is that he has a very characteristic voice - when he comes on the radio you know who it is that’s singing. 

Which brings me to the voice of God. In our Gospel reading this morning we had the baptism of Christ according to Mark we hear that a voice came from Heaven - presumably the voice of God - saying, “You are my beloved Son; I am well pleased with you”. Which seems clear enough. But what did this voice sound like? Was it sound at all. As it’s directed at Jesus, did anyone else hear it, or did he speak of it to his followers at a later date and this was passed on to Mark? I love the old Hollywood Biblical epics: when God speaks it’s always in a voice that reflects what we heard in our text: a voice that is powerful and majestic - preferably with lots of echo. Is that what people heard beside the Jordan. Or was it a whisper that floated on the breeze but which caught the ears of those who heard it? Or was it an impression in people’s minds? Does it matter?

Yes, I think it does, because people can get awfully dogmatic about how they think God speaks - about what his voice is like. Some would say that God speaks in the words of The Bible - that, in a sense - the scriptures are the authentic voice of God. Sometimes they take verses out of scripture and mould them into weapons to attack those they think are theologically wrong, or espousing views on, say, sexual morality, that they think are wrong. I’m not convinced that’s overly Christian. Nor do I think it’s what scripture is for.

What we read in Church are translations of texts - sometimes translations that are somewhat less than literal - written by human beings thousands of years ago who lived in different cultural circumstances and who understood the world around them in very different ways and who responded to what God was telling them in their own context. Does that mean that they have no relevance to our day and age? Not at all. What it means is that if you go to The Bible looking for words to back up your own ideas of what you think God ought to say you’re missing the point entirely.

Do I think The Bible is the voice of God? In a sense yes. I believe God speaks through these words, but we have to open our ears to listen for what he is saying to us. We have to come to them humbly and prayerfully. We have to think about what they say and reflect on what they mean for us, here and now. What these words mean for us will not necessarily mean what they meant for people in the past because we live in a different culture with a different understanding of the world but, if we keep our ears open and listen, God speaks to us where we are and addresses the concerns of our time and place. If that weren’t the case I’d be out of a job.

Does God speak to us in other ways? Yes, I’m sure he does, but not always, necessarily, in the same way. There have been a couple of times when, I believe, God has given me very clear guidance as to what he has wanted me to do. On one occasion it came in the form of an overwhelming sense of what I should be doing. On the other it came in the form of an impression of a whisper in my ear. I could describe these events in more detail but that would make this sermon way too long. And way too much about me.

Let’s look again at our reading from the psalms. Yes it speaks of God’s voice in terms of power and majesty. But it also describes the voice of the Lord in other ways. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe God speaks to different people in different ways. Maybe God’s voice sounds different to different people. 

Perhaps some people hear the voice of God in the wonders of nature. Maybe they look at the beauty of the countryside or the awesome majesty of space and they hear God speaking through them. And perhaps if it inspires them to remember that this world is God’s creation then that is no bad thing. Perhaps, if it reminds them that we are tenants or this planet - that we are still meant to be gardeners in Eden - and that this world is not ours to plunder and turn into a waste heap, then that is no bad thing. Who knows - maybe God’s voice speaks to those who don’t know him.

Perhaps some people hear the voice of God in the needs of those in need. Maybe they look at folk who go to sleep each night in the cold and on the hard pavement, or at folk who have fetched up on our shores fleeing the horrors of war or the threat of persecution. Maybe in the cries of the weak and the vulnerable and the broken they hear the voice of God. And if that inspires them to do something about that - to sleep out in a park on a cold winter’s night to bring attention to the needs of the homeless or to organise clothes and furniture for refugees, maybe that’s no bad thing. Who knows - maybe God’s voice speaks to those who don’t know him.

Perhaps today, tomorrow you or I may hear the voice of God in a sudden urge to say something - do something - that we had not expected to do. Perhaps to speak to someone who needs reminded - for what reason we might never know - that they matter; that they are valuable and precious and unique. Perhaps, as we are hurrying down a busy street, lost in our own business, perhaps there may be one shaken, near-crushed polystyrene cup waved at us and we will see in a lost, expressionless face of the person who waves it a brother or sister; or we may suddenly think, “There, but for fortune…”

So here’s the kicker. What if, for the most part, God’s voice is heard in those who believe in him and live accordingly? What if, for the most part, God’s voice is meant to be heard in those who know what the love of God is about - that every human being is a unique creation of God; that whatever our failings and whatever our faults - or anybody else’s - humanity has a loving father: that we are made by that same loving father and that we are meant to love each other and care for each other and make sure that everyone is OK?

We don’t do that all the time. You know that. I know that. But when we do - every time we do - God works in the world and the voice of the Lord is powerful; the world of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord sings in the world.

Lord speak to us in whatever way you will and help us to listen. May we be your voice in the world to speak your love to those who need to hear.

Preached at Gretna:St. Andrews Parish church