The opening text will come from a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man - A Philosophy of Judaism). As you are able to see by the title, the language may be a bit dated and therefore, I will, when able, make the language inclusive.
By the ineffable we do not mean the unknown as such; things unknown today may be known a thousand years from now. By the ineffable we mean that aspect of reality which by its very nature lies beyond our comprehension, and is acknowledged by the mind to be beyond the scope of the mind. Nor does the ineffable refer to a realm detached from the perceptible and the known. It refers to the correlation of the known and the unknown, of the knowable and the unknowable, upon which the mind comes in all its acts of thinking and feeling.
The sense of the ineffable is a sense for transcendence, a sense for the allusiveness of reality to a super-rational meaning. The ineffable then, is a synonym for hidden meaning rather than for absence of meaning. It stands for a dimension which the Bible called glory, a dimension so real and sublime that it stuns our ability to adore it, and fills us with awe rather than curiosity.
I would submit that the ‘love of God’ is a good example of something that is ineffable. It is in, with, and under all of life and yet it is more than can be comprehended. The love of God is known when it is encountered. It is known both to a person in private and yet it is known when it takes shape within a community. Such love fills us with awe. The love of God is also described as the glory of God – brilliant and real – beyond our comprehension yet within an arms reach.
Connection: As the second lesson for this Sunday will remind us: “Beloved, let us love one another…” That is enough to fill this day to overflowing…and make available to all the glory of the Lord, God.
By your Grace, O God, you bring us together so that your love may be something more than a concept or an idea. By your Holy Spirit, you fashion a people whose lives are pulled into your loving presence and become a part of that love within this place and time. Be with us and call us out of ourselves and into that wonder-filled Reign where you are present for all. Amen.
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