Intersections
Transcript of “A Shepherd’s Voice” – March 24, 2025
Let us begin in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thank you for joining me again for “A Shepherd’s Voice.” Last week we began discussing intersections.
Throughout history, there have been moments when heaven and earth have intersected – times when God, in His divine providence, reached into the temporal world to reveal Himself, guide His people, and fulfill His promises. These divine encounters remind us that God is not distant or detached but intimately involved in the lives of men. The greatest of all these intersections was the Incarnation, when the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Yet, even before Christ’s coming, God repeatedly manifested His presence, power, and plan to His people. These sacred moments serve as foreshadowings of the ultimate union of heaven and earth in Jesus Christ.
From the earliest days of salvation history, God made His presence known through extraordinary encounters. One of the most striking examples is the burning bush, where God revealed His divine name to Moses, saying, “I AM WHO AM” (Exodus 3:14), and commissioned him to lead Israel out of Egypt. Another moment of heavenly intervention occurred at Mount Sinai, where God descended in fire and thunder to give His law to Moses (Exodus 19:18-20). Jacob, too, experienced an intersection of heaven and earth when he saw a ladder reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it, and he proclaimed, “Indeed the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not” (Genesis 28:16). In the Temple, the presence of God filled the Holy of Holies in a cloud, signifying His dwelling among His people (3 Kings 8:10-11). These encounters, and many others, prepared the way for the ultimate intersection of heaven and earth in the coming of Christ.
The greatest and most profound intersection of heaven and earth occurred in the Incarnation, when God Himself took on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. As St. John declares, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). In this moment, the divine and the human were united in a way never before seen, as the eternal God entered time and space, bringing salvation to mankind. The angelic announcement to the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Annunciation was a moment when heaven’s will was revealed on earth, as the Angel Gabriel declared, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee” (Luke 1:35). The birth of Christ itself was heralded by a heavenly sign – the star that guided the wise men (Matthew 2:9-10) and the angelic chorus proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will” (Luke 2:14).
Christ’s entire earthly ministry was a series of divine encounters where heaven touched earth. At His baptism in the Jordan, the heavens opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon Him in the form of a dove, while the voice of the Father proclaimed, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). At the Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John beheld Christ’s divine glory shining forth, as Moses and Elias appeared, and the Father again testified from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, hear ye him.” (Mark 9:6-7).
Continue reading at Bishop Strickland’s Substack