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Cow, Great Thou Art - 11/15/05 2005 Archive - 2006 Archive

Several weeks ago, when the sermon scripture was the absurd passage from Exodus’ wilderness story about the golden calf, I sung this song:

O, Lord my calf, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hooves have made
I see the quail, I taste the morning manna
Cow pow’r throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee
Cow, great thou art; cow, great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee
Cow, great thou art; cow, great thou art!


It is hard to sing or read it without laughing, or at least smiling. The thought of bowing to a bovine deity is beyond the realm of Christian imagination for most of us. But for the Israelites, the cow-god was not as obviously absurd. As Egyptian slaves, they were immersed in a culture that used various animals to represent deities, including cows.

The whole incident took place primarily because the people grew impatient with Moses’ return from his mountain-top experience with God, and in their impatience, they became fearful of the void that Moses’ absence created. If it is true that nature abhors a vacuum, it is perhaps more true that religion in general and human nature in particular are frightfully uncomfortable with the perception of God’s absence. When our expectations of God’s presence or performance are dashed, the silence is deafening.

In such circumstances, we are quite capable of creating our own golden calves that are equally as absurd. We tend to give our trust and allegiance to very visible and vocal substitutes. We may escape onto a path of addictive destruction, seeking chemical assistance with amnesia or anesthesia, but the emptiness of the void returns as soon as the effects wear off.

We may choose a very different “brand” of religion, with rituals and symbols that are in stark contrast to the religion that, for us, has become dead. We may turn to secular obsessions like fitness, homeopathy, or other concrete means of creating a sense of control over our health. We may become hyper-focused on physical security.

The regular use of any of these or other avenues of protection does not necessarily indicate that we have created another golden calf. Many people make changes in their lifestyles that promote health while avoiding obsession. Health and balance may be determined only by a personal examination of the place and function that the practice or substance has in our life.

More next week...

© 2005 Todd Jenkins