CreatorWorship

A well known person visited my neighborhood today.  There was much ado.  He resided in the halls of power not so long ago and would dwell there again though not in the lime light.  His presence 4 short blocks from my humble abode did cause considerable congestion without and within, oh, and curiosity, too, to be truthful.  But I could not bring myself to be involved other than to pass by on my way to the grocery store for some requested crackers. The area was crowded.  As I thought to scan the titles of my poems this evening, the following one seemed apropos.  See if you agree by clicking on Is this how? Why the vagueness? I don’t know, perhaps to make you think or because the demise is vague and subtle.

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OK, I know right off that you are thinking with titles like this and the last entry that I need major help. But I believe that a biblical worldview is big enough to accomodate the good, the bad, and yes, the ugly, not to mention the easy, the hard, the big and small, the temporal and eternal and everything else.  So what’s the purpose of failure in the Christian’s life, who are suppose to “overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37)?  And how about the non-Christian who has no clue or the one who does and openly hates God? “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).  You can allow disappointment, trials, and failures to produce humility in you or God will humble you sooner (Ah, what grace to be stopped and turned around.) or later (Oh, what sorrow will be theirs to find they should have heeded His voice.). My poem attempts to point out the grace in failure, though at times it feels harsh.  Click on Failure to read it.

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If I wrote a book forsooth          
It would have poetry for sure
And musing on beauty and truth
Even stories and science pure

I guess I was in a poetry mood today because the real one about what I thought I’d write came out like the following you should click on: The Book I’d Write

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In part 1, Without Grace, I explored through short prose and poetry, the opposition of works to grace. Now I want to turn to the conflict within even when grace is accepted. We are at battle within ourselves, “For the good I want, I do not do,but I practice the very evil that I do not want.” (Romans 7:19). The battle originates in the desire to be autonomous, that is self-ruled. But why would a Christian who has understood the grace and mercy afforded him at the cross want to rule when Jesus has done all that is needed infinitely better? I believe that embedded in this autonomy is a deep seated fear that God does not have our best interest at heart: “The serpent said to the woman,’You surely shall not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'” (Genesis 3:4-5) Translated to modern vernacular, “God is holding out on you.” Satan has tempted us with this line of thinking ever since. So there is our need, eternal and daily. There is God’s sovereignty and justice, unmovable. Between them lies God’s grace in Jesus, satisfying both. Several years ago I tried to express this conflict and solution in a song that you can look at by clicking on Grace to Live

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There are only two religions in the world: works and grace.  Works has many denominations and sects all with a desire to be like God but without the power to do so (“God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4).  Grace has only one denomination with many cults (reference previous sentence).  Without grace I would be hopeless, grasping, scheming.  And even with it I participate in cultic practices (reference previous two sentences).  I would…I would…well, check it out by clicking on Without Grace

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“The New is in the Old concealed, the Old is in the New revealed“, wrote St. Augustine.
The more modern version reads, “The New is in the Old contained; the Old is in the New explained.” Therefore, we dare not neglect the Old for the New, for in explaining the Old the New reveals previously concealed truth that could not be understood without the foundation of the Old. The tabernacle of the Pentateuch for example portrays much about who Christ is, what He came to do, and how that extends to us. Christ is all and in all in the tabernacle. His glory (over the mercy seat) was veiled (covering the Holy of Holies) by human flesh when He was born in Bethlehem. He came, the sweet aroma of God (the altar of incense), “My Beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17), the bread of Life (table of show bread), the light of the world ((the lampstand)(Hebrews 9:11-15, 22-28). He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness ((the laver)(Exodus 30:19-21, Matthew 3:13-16). He was the offering on the altar, the high priest who blessed the waiting people and sprinkled the blood (His own) on the mercy seat. If all this and more were not enough, He is the Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), the first fruits from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:23), and the scapegoat who went outside the gate whom we will meet on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:10, Hebrews 13:13). If all of that made vague sense or none at all it points out the depth of understanding that can be missed by not studying the Old Testament. For further study consider the poem and Scripture references by clicking on Christ in the Tent of Meeting

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Pursuing too many things when only one is necessary. That was the way Jesus put it to Martha when she was irritated with Mary for not helping out with the preparations for dinner. Mary was at the feet of Jesus listening and learning and loving. I too want to narrow my aim [poem link ] and make Jesus the focus.

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You remember the scene in the boat (Matthew 16:5-12). The disciples seem to have forgotten everything: bread, miracles, the “leaven of the Pharisees”, and who is in the boat with them. The assurance that they have gotten it at the end of the passage seems like they maybe only partially got it. I’m right there with them, daily even. The Owner and Sustainer of the boat, the trip, the bread, the job, the family, the relationships, the way, the truth, and the life is with me. The difficulties and fog are only additional opportunities to give glory to Him by trusting rather than “leavening” the lump with scheming legalism. If you like, read my poem about my reaction to these verses at Understand?

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Some of my favorite verses in the Bible are found in Hebrews 1:1-4 [link]. And as a person interested in Science the word radiance [link] continues to catch my attention every time I read it. Another word for radiance is effulgence [link] which simmers with outcasting of energy in the very pronunciation of the word. We don’t see material; we see light. So we see radiation from the sun, not the sun. As John 1:18 [link] tells us we don’t see God the Father but God the Son. The picture is of Christ shining forth the glory of God which we would not see without His intervention. There are two sides to God’s glory- one harsh and one kind-both equally true. The more I thought about it the more it grew in my mind until I wrote a poem called “Radiance”. You can read that poem by clicking on Radiance

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