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AO LE LTS he bibir iuRhe cia ee ee ee meen, but tne Thedaticn
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aiyoveak phat Ress oye T])eet os awe) tae ue 2, at Pana
A an ioe! Patna aN
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pee : oof -- ew) aagen . tc. -qes nee te 4 - oa 7 a 7 + a a r . a ~ - cyt
wile chet ulon driws tic gugetien tute Pocus. But it is ceuestion that

8 With wc slweye.|Steved seademleslly the qacetGion in thisi\ "Does Gos

“a native part in alfalvs of mea? 2s uces he stand ldly by?
: oH
Te Gor in cup rath: Life our community Tiite--our nersonul Lifs--
. - . : —
or ta Na abs % jis God Like 9s alock meker, wo created the world, wound
Le upe--and mow sits lo hie heaven Observing Lu ron gown? om is the crsztor
God in wisvory stone with wan? Te he mente partner in the dally, weekly and

an together comprise the story of history?

AQ Uk Aaadende aqueerion ii is important \
d

nang with Nisteschc, huve elrimed thet God ia lced; his God who sets in

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2 Por man ta stand on
ry Er,

be--ane it ie wu

Past end wonlines

tLe
i

is in control. \ best week the French
: *

SOVEtlo£ PRIL. Jean Poul Sorters, wan ong pelused: the Noel Prise.\ Hie

4

wor're, wWivh title like

io

"ep out in compassion for

Humanity with no

iim philosony

uw

anendenc childish railth snd merses himself in the fate cf all mor.

4nd so philosophers ane theologians do spir nited battle--and you may
wonder what this has to do with us. |rt is my tonviction, however, that
this question ig extremely relevant to you and me; and furthermore, we ask
nan
it and answer, perhaps not so acauemically, every day of our lives, | Everyo

believes in god; but is it not true that he is a remote God whose presence
—_____,, a

Oe
is affirmed in ereed--and then denied in life?|Everyone believes in God--
—— ———— —$————<F
but is he not a rather tame and domestic God whose sole purpose is to
reinforce our prejudice cés, political, social an@ personal?\ Everyone
~~ : sa

believes, in God, but is he a God who exists in my neighbor whom I refuse

to serve at my restaurant because his skin is blac k;\is he a God who walks

ee —
with me as I enter the mill, the classroom or the kitchen? Is he a God who
ee -

iy

raises un men and nations to carry out hi LL Es a ‘ and
—. 7 * | ‘ = —
Bid men; \\God who has the power and immediacy to touch my life and make me

ma
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ss,
a new man?}If he is not, then he is not reall ly God at all; rather he is

@ dlety of my own cration, a God, Spelled with a little "G." that I have
ay

made in mhy image~-and whose presence or non-pnresence depends on my will
See

This is a question we anSwe?; every day.] It is a question we cannot

——,

escane, | It is a question that appeers once again as we approach election
_—_—_—,,

day, thinking about the future of our nation, our civilization, and the

fe

entire world, aaper/ He HULA > aie a Qh. g us Cowtial

The writers of the O.T. Were not 2t all hesitant to see God at work
—_—_—_—_,. i

in the affairs of men.|In fact, the watershed of Israelie faith is the
seme ieaess
“xodus from Eypt and the journey to the promised aan The Israelites saw
ili anh
one thing in these tremendous éevents--the work of Goa It was God who
i ne —,
brought them out of Hypot--it was God who brought them across the Red. Sea.
ee

It was God who made a @ovenant--an agreement inl them at Mt. Sinai. It
Se

was God who gave them the land and allowed them to conquer and settle it.

From beginning to end the 0.7. tells the story of a God who acts in history;
SSS

& God who intercedes in human affairs; a God whase presence is so rel

that all of life revolves 2round his commandments, his law and his will for

his people, Yhe G.8, ts net ceuermish about ty there is not an event--
great op em ill--in which the eyes of fsith cannot eee the hand of God.
Perhaps thie is the renson the contemmorary ohris visn Chureh lergely ignores
the 9,7, Perhsans we shudder st the thought of an fimos seeing God's hand

in the Civil Right's movement: or « Jeremish barging into the high counsels

of Gove. to announce God's will, Perheps, we s dian Ly don't believe in tht

Our serincure lesson this orning is part aPoa letter, written by 2
Breat man of Paitvh, to 2» band of miserable, disheartened, oaptige dews., For
7U yesrs the ecrenm of Iserrelite eulture had ceen forced to live in exile i
Babylon. In 4 superficial way the times might bs ecomnared to our own, Many
nation states were tottering. The once mighty Baby lon was being crodegd and

disputes and arrogant vassal ‘kings. And from the Zast

aame 4 flood of rumors about & conquering hoard of Persians, under Gyrus,

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rod
=

speenping all opponents away with esse, It was : tense snd unxio e.
‘ne the cartive Jews in Babylon wondered abut it all, Where is this
Almighty God? Why hss he 2llowed his people to suffer, to totter on the
extinetinn, :

To these people, in these precarious times came the words of the
Prophet; "Listen to me in silence, 9 cogstlands, let the pseples renew
their strength; let them approaen, then let them speak; lat us draw neo
for judgement, The proohet sees the hand of Gad in the conquering Persians

"Who has q@alled the generations from the Befinning? I, the Lord, the first.

and with the last; I um he." He assure

to

the po opele that God is net “in
absentia.” “fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your
God! Twill strengthen you, I will uphold you with my victorious right
hendg," :

The Persian armies conquered Babylon, and one of Cyrus's first acts
was to free the Jews and send them back to theiv homeland. Again the Jews
knew it was their God---the God of Abrsham and Jacob--who had acted in histor:

on thelr bhehal

my