“The Christmas tree comes to us from Martin Luther, who is credited with being inspired by the starry heavens one night and expressing his feelings to his family by bringing a fir tree into his home and attaching lighted candles to its branches. Fir meant fire—and fire is an ancient symbol for spirit. The tree also pointed toward the heavens. Eventually, decorative balls represented the planets, while the star that radiates from the top reminds us of Bethlehem. The entire tree with its decorations teaches us that the universe is witness to the Incarnation. In fact, the Christmas tree is just one more sign of Jesus’ birth. It is a means of retelling a miracle in a colourful and beautiful way, so that we can further understand and appreciate Jesus entering our world.”
St. Aldate’s Christmas Letter
Archives for November 2008
The Peace of Wild Things
Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret
Hudson’s Taylor private dictum: To move man, through God, by prayer alone.
He expresses his spiritual secret which turned his life to joy in a long letter to his sister, which I’ve reproduced below.
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Seedtime and Harvest. A blessing on labour. Genesis 8
Breughel, Corn Harvest |
A Blessing on Our Labour
“As long as the earth endures
Seedtime and harves,
Cold and heat,
Summer and winter,
Day and night
Will never cease.”
After the devastation of the flood, a blessing on our labour.
Harvest will follow seedtime.
Our life will have rhythms which we are to ride through as Noah rode through the flood. There will be night and winter and cold, and we will see them through, rest and gather strength, and then there will, for sure, be summer too, and day and warmth, and all these will contribute to mould our characters as we live in this world which God has blessed!
“Then the Lord Shut Him In” (Gen. 7)
The Gallarus Oratory in the Dingle Peninsula Places of withdrawal and Prayer |
This is the story we are reading aloud at present around the family dinner table.
God’s directions for the ark–450 ft by 75 by 45 feet. I used to find this part incredible. As I have lived longer, I don’t!
In my experience of running a small publishing company, I have experienced this sort of uncanny direction on several occasions: a clear insight into printers; books to publish; how and where to distribute; products to unroll.
God is a God of details, is interested in details, and we miss out on so much wisdom when we don’t seek him for insight on how to do the details….
Noah in the ark while the world is being flooded and destroyed outside. THEN THE LORD SHUT HIM IN.
What is this an image of? Of depression? Of abandonment? Aloneness? Sensory deprivation? Boredom?
Of God’s way of protection and safety.
It is a principle enshrined in God’s dealings with us. A period in the cocoon, in the ark, between great activity in the past, and great activity in the future. A winter like period to send one’s roots deep into certainties of who God is, and of his mighty power, a period to gather strength for the future.
What looks like abandonment is a period of rest and protection.
Thomas Merton’s Beautiful Prayer–You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Amen
(Thomas Merton)
Do not labour for food which perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life. John 6.27.
Franz Snyders |
Do not labour for food which perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life.
Not all of us have choices about what labour we undertake. Many of us have our choices cut out for us by long years of training and experience.
But insofar as one does have a choice, here’s a principle for work which Jesus offers.
Do not work merely for money or food, which is spent and gone; work for things that will endure in eternity.
What will endure? Goodness will. Good deeds put into God’s invisible and run-proof bank. Helping other gravitate towards the same.
Doing whatever you do because it is the will of God for your life–that will endure.
As I return to writing after 2.5 years spent setting up house, and establishing a small business, I think I am going to use that as a principle for my work.
To write that which might endure to eternal life.
Thoughts on the Election of President Obama
I was proud of America. I feared that when it came to it, most white people wouldn’t vote for a black person. However, as the New York Times said, the economy was the overriding issue, and so many, no doubt, “swallowed hard” and did the deed.
Brilliant!
Race is a double edged sword. 13 percent of the voters were black, and, probably, would have voted for Obama even if his platform was far-fetched. And, in the final analysis, the people who voted for him because he was black, outweighed those who did not vote for him because he was black.
My friend Paul Miller used to say that 90 percent of wisdom lay in keeping your mouth shut, and saying as little as possible. We see that in Obama. While McCain’s reaction to the collapse of Lehman was to say that the fundamentals of the economy are strong (as except for the over-borrowing, I believe they are) Obama said nothing, and so, in contrast to McCain’s failed attempt to fix the credit crisis, came across as the better choice. His early off the cuff remarks got him into trouble, like saying that most small town Americans are bitter, clinging to guns and religion, and so he confined himself to jingly quotable slogans as the election progressed–like, Yes, we can.
His acceptance speech was brilliant and well-crafted. I have no doubt his inauguration speech will be as good as Kennedy’s.
Seeing black people with tears pouring down their faces as they voted for a black man and watched him win, was the most memorable and emotive moment of the campaign. What a heavy weight of love and expectation for Obama to carry!
Here’s a Presidency worth watching. I wish him well.