The Main Event

In case you didn’t know this already, my dog Tobi is a piece of work. At times, she’s a great little dog: house-trained, calm, obedient, and domesticated. She’ll even do some tricks—shake, give “five,” and speak—if you have a doggie biscuit in your hand. She will even speak with an “inside voice.” At times, she will snuggle up to me, lay her head on my leg, and go to sleep: the image of the perfect lap-dog.

At other times, Tobi is a nut-case. Turn your back on the breakfast you made for your wife on your anniversary, and it’s gone. Approach her while she’s eating her chew-bone, and she goes a bit crazy. Sometimes on the spur of the moment, she jumps up, barks, and runs through the house at full-speed like the half Jack Russell Terrier she is. When she’s on her leash outside, she’ll almost take your arm off if she sees a cat, squirrel, or kid on a bike. She’s the image of a wild, untrained dog. Maybe we didn’t train her enough. We didn’t take her to obedience classes in an effort to domesticate her. We weren’t firm enough, consistent enough, and dedicated enough to train the “wildness” out of her. We should have done better, then she would be a calm, well-adjusted, “normal” dog.

Did you know people who try to domesticate God? It happens all the time. People like to think of God as this cuddly, teddy-bear type who snuggles up to us and makes us feel all better. He’s the Comforter. The Prince of Peace. The Counselor. He plays by our rules and never does anything unexpected. He forgives us when we ask Him, protects us from danger, helps our church grow, and gives us warm-fuzzy feelings when we sing “Shout to the Lord.” A lot of popular Christian radio and TV speakers present an image of teddy-bear God whose only goal is to help us feel good about ourselves. He’s the calm God. The God who lives in me but doesn’t really expect much out of me. He’s the domesticated God.

[Pause]

In the face of this image of God, we find this:

[Insert video clip: Prince of Egypt, Chapter 25, 1:23:45-1:28:00]

You see, the God we serve is not a tame God. He’s wild, unleashed, and free. He cannot be defined, restrained, or put in a box. He’s not a lapdog or domesticated Santa Claus. He is the Almighty, all-powerful Creator of the universe, and I think we would do well to remember that. The God who parted the Red Sea in order to free His people is the same God who is dealing with us this morning. He is the same God we ask to come live in our hearts and be the Lord of our lives.

When we try to reduce God to the domesticated, teddy-bear God, we are not being faithful to passages such as this one. Imagine the awe, wonder, and fear of that moment, walking through the sea on dry ground. Imagine the power, strength, and terror of God as He reveals himself and rescues His people. Imagine all this. Put yourself there. Smell the sea. Feel the wind. See the fish swimming in the wall of water next to you. Hear the waves. Taste the salt in the mist. Experience the feelings.

And don’t sing “Shout to the Lord” the same way, ever.

	Pentecost Sunday May 11, 2008
	Trinity Sunday May 18, 2008
	May 25, 2008
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