When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”  EXODUS 20:18-19

Holy Smokes!

I still use that phrase. Even thirty years ago, it was old. It harkens back to that campy bygone era of a caped crusader and his boy-wonder-sidekick fighting crime with clever and often ironic superhero skills. That show, Batman, was a success because it was so goofy. Long monologues from villains always preceded Batman and Robin’s unlikely escapes. The fight sequences were intentionally bad. Every brawl was highlighted by notoriously goofy punch-impact onomatopoeia: thwack! zok! pow! fa-thud! Each episode had the audience waiting for Robin’s clever variation on “holy smokes!” Check out some of the more priceless selections from actual episodes:

Holy uncanny photographic mental processes!
Holy non sequiturs!
Holy diversionary tactics!
Holy hardest metal in the world!
Holy sudden incapacitation!
Holy knit one, pearl two!

I don’t know, specifically, if the etymology of Robin’s catch-phrase has its roots in the Bible. But, the wording does bring to mind the idea that God’s appearance — holy and frightening — was often as a cloud of smoke. “Holy smoke,” if you will. Smoke has mysterious and shapeless property. And, we’re told that wherever there’s smoke, there’s also fire. Smoke is an apt description for the nebulousness of God — particularly, the part of the trinity with which we tend to have the greatest difficulty getting our heads around, the Holy Spirit.

Tonight, Thursday, September 25th at 7p, there’s an event Mariners is hosting at our Irvine campus that will highlight what is often called “life with” or “participation with” the Holy Spirit. We were given a preview of the event yesterday as a staff. In short, tonight will be a night of worship and teaching centered on encountering God’s inexplicable power and incendiary love through the Holy Spirit. While I’m a person who is easily weirded out, the guest teacher, Mike Pilavachi (a humble Brit of Greek descent), spoke in clear, compelling, and accessible biblical truths. The mysterious nature of God was neither apologized for, nor was it minimized. But, I was able to experience Him (the Holy Spirit) in a fresh way.

Holy Smokes!

See you Sunday,
Jeff

P.S.: This Sunday, we’ll continue in our series: YOU MAKE THE CALL. This will be a great opportunity to bring friends who are unfamiliar with Bible and wonder (as we all tend to do) about the practical relevance of what it has to say to our daily living. I’ve talked to a number of people at the door every Sunday — people you’ve been inviting — and they’re so grateful you include them. They’ve loved what the Bible has to say to their lives and the friendliness of the community here at Mariners MV.