Describing God

Homily for Thursday of the First Week in Advent

The language that we each use to describe God is usually dependent upon our experience of God. Today we hear Isaiah describe God as an eternal rock. In addition, the prophet speaks of strong, fortified walls and ramparts, and protective gates. While we all want a God who is strong, unbreakable, protective, and enduring, I suspect that each person’s description of God will be colored by what they need at that particular moment. It is obvious from today’s reading that Isaiah needed a strong God who could stand up to and defeat his enemies.

The interesting thing about how we describe God is that the description is not for God’s sake, but for ours. God is not competing with other gods; there are no “god Olympics.” To hear Isaiah tell us, “Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal rock,” is not to listen to a prophetic peptalk, but to receive the wisdom of one who saw and understood this reality. When the Psalmist says, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes,” we know he speaks from experience. When Jesus says, “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock,” he is not offering an architectural parable, but giving us instruction on how to be a disciple.

How do we describe God? In my own experience, I am apt to refer to God’s strength as demonstrated in God’s mercy. When I read the Gospels, I tend to read them through my own chronic illness and disability. Again, it must be emphasized that my description of God is not for God’s sake, but for mine.

Advent provides an excellent opportunity to take a close look at the foundation on which we reside, and whether anything is in need of renovation or repair. God is standing by to help. God wants nothing more than to be the God that we need at any particular moment in our lives. Each day, as we celebrate the Eucharist, God becomes our food, our sustenance, our daily bread.