Writings: God is not Distant

By: Dr. Gregory S. Neal

In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. (Joel 2:28-32)

These words from the prophet Joel, as quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost, shout to us from across the centuries. At the birth of the Church, God was with the Disciples and their companions; manifested by flickering flames of fire, through heavenly words and with mighty deeds that caused amazement and wonder, God declared God’s presence among God’s people. Without limit and without distinction, God was present with them: men and women, young and old, slave and free, Judean and believers from afar, people of many different languages and backgrounds – all who were there were touched by God’s immediate presence.

The gift of God’s Spirit, the outpouring of God’s abiding, indwelling Holy Presence, is not limited to just the few, to just those who are in the leadership positions, the powerful, the rich, the educated, or the influential. God’s presence, God’s blazing fire of strength, God’s grace and peace, comes to and abides with all. This is a point which is sometimes missed in the affirmation of Pentecost.

In Judaism the Feast of Shavuot was celebrated fifty days after Passover, marking the beginning of the wheat harvest in the land of Israel. It was one of the Biblically mandated Pilgrim festivals – Passover, Shavout, and Succoth – in which those who actually lived either in or near to Judea would travel to Jerusalem for worship and to make sacrifices in the Temple. In addition to marking the beginning of the wheat harvest with first-fruits offerings, Shavuot was also a time to remember and celebrate God’s gift of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. As such, the parallel with the Christian celebration of Pentecost is striking.

At Shavuot, the Jewish people celebrated God’s gracious gift of the wheat harvest, a true source of physical nourishment, while at the same time celebrating God’s gracious gift of the Law, a true source of spiritual nourishment. Similarly, at Pentecost Christians celebrate God’s gracious gift of the Holy Spirit, who’s presence inaugurates the Church while also becoming God’s abiding advocate, guide, and comforting presence within our souls – our true source of spiritual nourishment. God’s presence, abiding within us, is often understood as the living law of God written in our hearts, spiritually nourishing us and leading us to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. This outpoured spirit – God’s immediate, indwelling presence – brings not a set of rules and regulations that’s external to us, but an abiding relationship with the very Creator of this incredible universe.

Julie Gold wrote the hit Bette Midler song “From a Distance.” It’s a beautiful song, evoking mental images of the world as seen from the depths of space … as seen by the Apollo Astronauts, orbiting the moon. It’s a beautiful song, a heart-swelling song, and I have loved it since I first heard it way back in the early 1990s. There’s one problem with it, however: God is not just “watching us from a distance.”

Pentecost proclaims that God isn’t just transcendent, watching us from a distance, but rather that God is also imminent: with us, right here and right now, guiding, comforting, nourishing, and transforming us all. Pentecost proclaims that the outpoured presence of the Holy Spirit actually makes us an embodiment of what the song sees and proclaims:

"From a distance we all have enough
And no one is in need
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease
No hungry mouths to feed
From a distance we are instruments
Marching in a common band
Playing songs of hope
Playing songs of peace
They are the songs of every man
From a distance you look like my friend
Even though we are at war
From a distance I just cannot comprehend
What all this fighting is for
From a distance there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
And it's the hope of hopes
It's the love of loves
It's the heart of every man."

This is all impossible if God is only watching us from a distance. For this to become true and real God must be dwelling within us. That’s what Pentecost is about: the indwelling love of God, the love of God that brought back Jesus from the dead, brings us back from the death of our sins to the life and the presence of God. God watches us, yes from a distance, but also from within us – from within our hearts, souls, and minds.

When I look through my telescope at the night sky and see the wonders of God’s majestic creation, I am struck in awe at the enormity and mystery of it all. The one who made all that gloriousness, who crafted the universe, who fashioned the nebula, the galaxies, the planets and stars, and who fills it with power and might, also loves us enough to become present in our lives. There’s not a single person here, or watching online, whom God does not love, does not cherish, does not seek out for a relationship. And that’s just amazing. As insignificant as we are, as puny and finite as we are, God nevertheless unconditionally and eternally loves each and every one of us. It takes an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, omnibenevolent Being for that to be the case. And Pentecost teaches us that, too.

While God is transcendent, watching us from a distance, God is also very imminent, watching us from within. When you are alone, when you feel forgotten, when you feel pushed aside and ignored, when you feel that all is lost and you are helpless and hopeless, it is precisely then and there that God, the Holy Spirit, is with you. None of these feelings, while true in their pain and in their fear, are true in God’s reality. You may be afraid, hurting, and feeling alone, but Pentecost proclaims that you are not alone: when you’re hurting, afraid, and feeling alone, God is hurting with you, abiding with you even amidst your fears, and facing them with you. God is not distant: God’s outpoured spirit is right here, dwelling within us all. Thanks be to God!

© 2021 Dr. Gregory S. Neal
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