Sunday, November 30, 2014: Isaiah 64:1-9; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37
No one likes the thought of an angry God. It's hard enough to deal with an angry person.
For years, whenever I encountered a biblical text about God’s anger, I ignored it. I kept reading until I found something I liked, something about God’s love, forgiveness, and grace.
When I became a pastor, this practice went into high gear. I ignored every verse mentioning God’s wrath or judgment. I didn’t want to scare my parishioners away.
No one likes the thought of an angry God. Yet God’s wrath keeps popping up all over the Bible, including in this week’s Advent readings. Isaiah 64:5 addresses God: “You were angry when we sinned; you hid yourself when we did wrong” (CEB).
