Words are a gift from God. In fact, God's greatest expression of Himself to us is THE Word--Christ. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." John 1:1, 14
And while I know this to be true, knowing also THE Word, still I marvel at our attempt to be "little Christs," using words to express the glory of God. It is simply impossible. But He gave us words with which to try, and that is a gift not to be squandered.
I wrote this back in February, but a recent discussion brought it again to mind. I decided to clean it up a bit and share it here, though I feel it still needs revising in parts... I welcome questions and/or feedback.
WORDS
They are our window to the gods, or to God;
We print them on a page but never capture them,
Ideas released into the faulty cage of man’s device.
We teach our hands the turns, the curves, the lines;
We scribble, and we call it art.
We deceive ourselves.
Our “art” is inadequate, expressionless
Of the one thing worth expressing,
Which escapes us more the more we try.
It exists in the wordless,
The silence just before the thought,
Before the scratch of lead.
Yet still we reach beyond these bars
With blackened hands; we barely brush
Its extremity. But for these moments,
At the still point of the turning world,
For these encounters, for this end it is
That we determine to be poets.
For a mere glimpse of Lucidity himself,
We are continually willing to fail.
In the beginning was the Word.
It must have been a Word spoken—
Not one that we could tame with simple hands.
In the beginning was the Word:
Before space, before time, the Word existed,
Spoke life into existence,
Not the power of plurality, but of one
Word,
The Word by which we are created, designed
To think and keep thinking,
To write and keep writing,
To make these futile attempts,
To delight in them,
Despite our weak and slippery grasp,
Despite ourselves,
Despite our inadequate tools.
We are desperate creatures.
We smear the smudges from our windows
With a dirty sleeve and peer through;
Timidly, we wave to the Word from afar.
© H.D. Feb 2007
original post date 11/17/07, 12:01 AM
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Will the Stones Cry Out?
Today in church the pastor taught on the picture of Christ in Revelation 1. He said that, though in this season we celebrate Christ's first coming to us as a humble babe, we are to see his second coming as it says there in Revelation:
13 ...someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. [That is, Jesus is our great high priest...]
14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, [He is the sacrificial lamb...]
and his eyes were like blazing fire. [His gaze penetrates our souls...]
15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, [He comes with judgement...]
and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. [He cannot be drowned out...]
16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. [He brings a sword of battle...]
His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. [His glory is more than we can stand to look at!]
What stuck with me as the pastor expounded on these verses is the idea of Jesus' blazing eyes: that He looks into the very depth of my soul--a place even I dread to enter at those times when I know sin is brimming over...But Christ cannot HELP but see into that place, as that is simply who He is; He must see ALL of me because he created all of me. And He brings light--HIS light--to each dark corner, doing so by staring me in the face--eye to blazing eye. Wow. What a terrifying picture of the Saviour who sleeps "away in a manger" on a "silent night."
Continuing in Revelation, John says, "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead." How will I myself react if John--the disciple whom Jesus loved--felt this way upon seeing His Lord and friend? John: a liquified apostle. Christ is not merely to be sung about in carols as a rosy-cheeked, halo-wearing baby, or seen teaching on a hillside or even bleeding on the cross as a merciful and compassionate lord. NO, He is to be seen as the son of God reigning in majesty and power, glory and honor. THAT is the Christ. That is Jesus.
And He is coming soon...
With this new picture of Him in my heart, there is a newfound sense of awe and reverence in worshipping Him. We ended the service with one of my favorite worship songs: "I stand and lift up my hands...for the joy of the Lord is my strength...I bow down and worship Him now...how great, how awesome is He...and together we sing, everyone sing...Holy is the Lord, God Almighty...The earth is filled with His glory...Holy is the Lord, God Almighty...The earth is filled with His glory..."
The earth is filled with His glory...
Sitting in the back corner of the room, I looked around at the congregation as we sang. Several people that I could see were completely into the song, worshipping with raised hands, clearly talking to the Lord with their words. Many, many people were much more subdued, however. I felt a bit discouraged: after that eye-opening sermon, didn't people understand the God we were worshipping? Didn't it want to make them melt right then and there, out of sheer unworthiness in His awesome presence?
The earth is filled with His glory...but this room doesn't seem to be, I thought.
I glanced out of the little window on the emergency-exit door beside me. There was a little maple tree, its leaves a beautiful gold and brown, flapping wildly in the wind. And I thought of the verse in Isaiah 55 where God says, "The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." (The leaves really did look like clapping hands!) The branches were shaking like they were desperate to rid themselves of those leaves--indeed, The earth is filled with His glory...!
I thought, too, of the verse in Luke 19, the Triumphal Entry, where Jesus replies to the Pharisees rebuke of the people's worship, "I tell you...if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Jesus, our God and King, demands worship! The trees and the rocks and all of nature sing songs of praise to the Most High; if we choose not to join them, it is our loss--and what a loss. Christ is coming, and He knows us inside and out, to the very soul of our souls! And in spite of our sinful natures, we are allowed to offer the tiny bit of praise we can while trapped in these mortal bodies. What a privilege to do as the Lord commands--what a privilege to do it, and be called friend.*
My absolute favorite passage about love is Song of Solomon 8:6-7, and I am always surprised it is not quoted more often. Verse 6 says that love "burns like a blazing fire." Now, I'm no Bible scholar, but knowing this and recalling Christ's eyes of "blazing fire," I think this seems to indicate that there is indeed love behind those eyes. In spite of the holy fear I feel of Him after understanding Christ's description in Revelation, I am drawn to Him, knowing that love is His ultimate motive for having chosen me. In light of that, the stones should never have to cry out. Holy is the Lord!
*John 15:14
13 ...someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. [That is, Jesus is our great high priest...]
14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, [He is the sacrificial lamb...]
and his eyes were like blazing fire. [His gaze penetrates our souls...]
15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, [He comes with judgement...]
and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. [He cannot be drowned out...]
16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. [He brings a sword of battle...]
His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. [His glory is more than we can stand to look at!]
What stuck with me as the pastor expounded on these verses is the idea of Jesus' blazing eyes: that He looks into the very depth of my soul--a place even I dread to enter at those times when I know sin is brimming over...But Christ cannot HELP but see into that place, as that is simply who He is; He must see ALL of me because he created all of me. And He brings light--HIS light--to each dark corner, doing so by staring me in the face--eye to blazing eye. Wow. What a terrifying picture of the Saviour who sleeps "away in a manger" on a "silent night."
Continuing in Revelation, John says, "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead." How will I myself react if John--the disciple whom Jesus loved--felt this way upon seeing His Lord and friend? John: a liquified apostle. Christ is not merely to be sung about in carols as a rosy-cheeked, halo-wearing baby, or seen teaching on a hillside or even bleeding on the cross as a merciful and compassionate lord. NO, He is to be seen as the son of God reigning in majesty and power, glory and honor. THAT is the Christ. That is Jesus.
And He is coming soon...
With this new picture of Him in my heart, there is a newfound sense of awe and reverence in worshipping Him. We ended the service with one of my favorite worship songs: "I stand and lift up my hands...for the joy of the Lord is my strength...I bow down and worship Him now...how great, how awesome is He...and together we sing, everyone sing...Holy is the Lord, God Almighty...The earth is filled with His glory...Holy is the Lord, God Almighty...The earth is filled with His glory..."
The earth is filled with His glory...
Sitting in the back corner of the room, I looked around at the congregation as we sang. Several people that I could see were completely into the song, worshipping with raised hands, clearly talking to the Lord with their words. Many, many people were much more subdued, however. I felt a bit discouraged: after that eye-opening sermon, didn't people understand the God we were worshipping? Didn't it want to make them melt right then and there, out of sheer unworthiness in His awesome presence?
The earth is filled with His glory...but this room doesn't seem to be, I thought.
I glanced out of the little window on the emergency-exit door beside me. There was a little maple tree, its leaves a beautiful gold and brown, flapping wildly in the wind. And I thought of the verse in Isaiah 55 where God says, "The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." (The leaves really did look like clapping hands!) The branches were shaking like they were desperate to rid themselves of those leaves--indeed, The earth is filled with His glory...!
I thought, too, of the verse in Luke 19, the Triumphal Entry, where Jesus replies to the Pharisees rebuke of the people's worship, "I tell you...if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Jesus, our God and King, demands worship! The trees and the rocks and all of nature sing songs of praise to the Most High; if we choose not to join them, it is our loss--and what a loss. Christ is coming, and He knows us inside and out, to the very soul of our souls! And in spite of our sinful natures, we are allowed to offer the tiny bit of praise we can while trapped in these mortal bodies. What a privilege to do as the Lord commands--what a privilege to do it, and be called friend.*
My absolute favorite passage about love is Song of Solomon 8:6-7, and I am always surprised it is not quoted more often. Verse 6 says that love "burns like a blazing fire." Now, I'm no Bible scholar, but knowing this and recalling Christ's eyes of "blazing fire," I think this seems to indicate that there is indeed love behind those eyes. In spite of the holy fear I feel of Him after understanding Christ's description in Revelation, I am drawn to Him, knowing that love is His ultimate motive for having chosen me. In light of that, the stones should never have to cry out. Holy is the Lord!
*John 15:14
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Pearl of Wisdom
A couple of months ago, what occupied my time and thoughts the most was feeding my daughter. I still cannot get over the way she will cry rivers of tears when she is hungry, even though I may be holding her only inches away, waiting with her milk, wanting her to just open her eyes and see, to receive the good gift I have for her. We, too, are like this with the many gifts God has for us as well; if we would simply open our eyes and expect God's (many!) good gifts, we would see how foolish and needless are our tears. This parallel is certain.
However, it was this image of my daughter that came flashing back into my mind when, yesterday, some friends were discussing the topic of wisdom. One person commented that we are to go to God asking for wisdom as a child would. YES, I thought, not only as a child, but as a newborn, screaming not out of fear that we won't receive it but out of sheer craving for it, knowing we cannot be consoled with anything less than God's good, priceless, perfect gift of true wisdom. Indeed, Solomon himself found nothing better under the sun.
Nevertheless, I must admit that I am guilty of often picturing God tapping me with his "magic wand," endowing me with this wisdom rather suddenly. But the truth is that we have to work at it most (if not all) of the time. Just as a babe must learn to suckle correctly, working his jaw and tongue in rhythmic motion, so we must discipline ourselves to read God's Word, to search it, and to hide it in our hearts. His Word is the wisdom we long for, the pearl of great price, and woe to us when we take it for granted or neglect it in favor of the magic wand theory.
We are told in Proverbs 2:1-6:
My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Am I worthy of this good gift? No. But as I am sanctified day by day, I desire it all the more, and I would think that God expects at least that, if we call ourselves His disciples. May we trust Him to BE who His Word says He is! "To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his." Job 12:13 Amen.
However, it was this image of my daughter that came flashing back into my mind when, yesterday, some friends were discussing the topic of wisdom. One person commented that we are to go to God asking for wisdom as a child would. YES, I thought, not only as a child, but as a newborn, screaming not out of fear that we won't receive it but out of sheer craving for it, knowing we cannot be consoled with anything less than God's good, priceless, perfect gift of true wisdom. Indeed, Solomon himself found nothing better under the sun.
Nevertheless, I must admit that I am guilty of often picturing God tapping me with his "magic wand," endowing me with this wisdom rather suddenly. But the truth is that we have to work at it most (if not all) of the time. Just as a babe must learn to suckle correctly, working his jaw and tongue in rhythmic motion, so we must discipline ourselves to read God's Word, to search it, and to hide it in our hearts. His Word is the wisdom we long for, the pearl of great price, and woe to us when we take it for granted or neglect it in favor of the magic wand theory.
We are told in Proverbs 2:1-6:
My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Am I worthy of this good gift? No. But as I am sanctified day by day, I desire it all the more, and I would think that God expects at least that, if we call ourselves His disciples. May we trust Him to BE who His Word says He is! "To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his." Job 12:13 Amen.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Sing with Me
Lately I've been entertaining my daughter by reciting the ABC's to her--sometimes singing the song, sometimes carefully enunciating each letter, sometimes repeating a vowel sound and then saying all the one-syllable words that end in that sound, through to the end of the alphabet. The munchkin watches my mouth with her eyes of fascination and dimpled smile, and I take that as a sign that she is surely gifted with words, like her parents (English lovers both) very much hope her to be.
In spite of these attempts, my daughter has found something of interest in the "haah" sound, repeating it over and over with a sort of guttural push that makes me wonder how her voice has not gone hoarse. And then I realize that, at four months of age, she doesn't even really have a voice, and this spurs me on to more musing:
My daughter squealed for the first time the other day. Once I got over the initial surge of love at the sound (which is never fully possible, of course), it set me to thinking of all the sounds she has yet to make, despite my attempts to introduce her to the sounds of the Roman alphabet in all the dumb ways I know how.
I wonder, What will her voice really be like? What happy melody will her laughter be to me, what distressing dirge her cry? What silly sounds will she discover, what new words will she laugh herself to pieces over, delighting to repeat them, merely to FEEL their sound in the workings of her tiny teeth, tongue, and lips?
In this thought, I am FILLED with excitement. This little bundle that I am only beginning to know (and shall never comprehend), she is answering the psalmist's cry to "sing to the Lord a new song"; and out of each new song she sings grows my own--wordless, full of humility and awe, struck by the God who has chosen us--me--as His instrument. My sweet girl is worshipping our Abba, pointing to His matchless excellence, simply by existing as a new babe should. And she shows me a glimpse of the Holy One, daily affirming His character through the new song of her newborn voice.
I know no better words to express this song in my heart--Psalm 96:
1 Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
12 let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;
13 they will sing before the LORD, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his truth.
How great is our God, AMEN.
In spite of these attempts, my daughter has found something of interest in the "haah" sound, repeating it over and over with a sort of guttural push that makes me wonder how her voice has not gone hoarse. And then I realize that, at four months of age, she doesn't even really have a voice, and this spurs me on to more musing:
My daughter squealed for the first time the other day. Once I got over the initial surge of love at the sound (which is never fully possible, of course), it set me to thinking of all the sounds she has yet to make, despite my attempts to introduce her to the sounds of the Roman alphabet in all the dumb ways I know how.
I wonder, What will her voice really be like? What happy melody will her laughter be to me, what distressing dirge her cry? What silly sounds will she discover, what new words will she laugh herself to pieces over, delighting to repeat them, merely to FEEL their sound in the workings of her tiny teeth, tongue, and lips?
In this thought, I am FILLED with excitement. This little bundle that I am only beginning to know (and shall never comprehend), she is answering the psalmist's cry to "sing to the Lord a new song"; and out of each new song she sings grows my own--wordless, full of humility and awe, struck by the God who has chosen us--me--as His instrument. My sweet girl is worshipping our Abba, pointing to His matchless excellence, simply by existing as a new babe should. And she shows me a glimpse of the Holy One, daily affirming His character through the new song of her newborn voice.
I know no better words to express this song in my heart--Psalm 96:
1 Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
12 let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;
13 they will sing before the LORD, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his truth.
How great is our God, AMEN.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Where Will You Go in The Prelife?
Perhaps I forgot it in the first place because it wasn't as good a thought as I thought. You be the judge:
The pastor mentioned the "afterlife" today, and I realized what a silly term that is. What we see in front of us at present is not really life, but merely a picture of reality. The spiritual realm is the true reality, and life indeed.
For believers, then, it is not the so-called afterlife with which we must contend. By the grace of God, we have salvation from Hell through Jesus Christ and are guaranteed a place with Him in heaven.
Therefore, it is here in the "prelife" that we must ask the question, "Where will I go?" Our salvation does NOT depend upon works, but the quality of our lives on this earth is dictated by our relationship with our Lord, by our decision to follow Him in the minutiae of earthly living. Sometimes I wonder why God placed me here in this society, in this community, in this time period. But in the end it doesn't really matter; what matters is what I do with that fact. Will I allow myself to be steered in the right direction? If I believe what I say I do, I must allow my ultimate end to dictate this "middle way."
So when I have shuffled off this mortal coil, when I am only spirit, as I am meant to be, I will then be living life indeed...yes, life after death is life indeed.
The pastor mentioned the "afterlife" today, and I realized what a silly term that is. What we see in front of us at present is not really life, but merely a picture of reality. The spiritual realm is the true reality, and life indeed.
For believers, then, it is not the so-called afterlife with which we must contend. By the grace of God, we have salvation from Hell through Jesus Christ and are guaranteed a place with Him in heaven.
Therefore, it is here in the "prelife" that we must ask the question, "Where will I go?" Our salvation does NOT depend upon works, but the quality of our lives on this earth is dictated by our relationship with our Lord, by our decision to follow Him in the minutiae of earthly living. Sometimes I wonder why God placed me here in this society, in this community, in this time period. But in the end it doesn't really matter; what matters is what I do with that fact. Will I allow myself to be steered in the right direction? If I believe what I say I do, I must allow my ultimate end to dictate this "middle way."
So when I have shuffled off this mortal coil, when I am only spirit, as I am meant to be, I will then be living life indeed...yes, life after death is life indeed.
Sometimes Life Gets in the Way
What is the thought
that I had today
as I sat in church,
thinking,
"Oh, how interesting!
I need to come back
to this thought later,
and add it to my blog..."
?
that I had today
as I sat in church,
thinking,
"Oh, how interesting!
I need to come back
to this thought later,
and add it to my blog..."
?
Thursday, October 25, 2007
One-Point-Five Years
It's been quite a while since I last posted, though one-and-a-half years (or so) isn't really all that much in the scheme of things. STILL, I am more than amazed at what can happen in that span of time. For example? Since then, I've had a daughter.
A DAUGHTER! Man, do "I grow old...I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled"...
I must say that I am rather excited to see what musings the little bean will bring as I watch her sprout. She has been lifetimes in the making, and in her own lifetime I hope to glimpse all those that have come before--the eternal in the temporal. She is the present linking my past and my future, and God's purpose has never smelled so sweet. Indeed, I love her.
A DAUGHTER! Man, do "I grow old...I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled"...
I must say that I am rather excited to see what musings the little bean will bring as I watch her sprout. She has been lifetimes in the making, and in her own lifetime I hope to glimpse all those that have come before--the eternal in the temporal. She is the present linking my past and my future, and God's purpose has never smelled so sweet. Indeed, I love her.
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