Saturday, February 13, 2010

I love the fog

I love the fog. It's mysterious. I hides things distant until the get close and suddenly appear. And relatively speaking then it offers a seclusion or privacy. The world does not exist past your field of vision. Not good for driving, but otherwise, fun. At night it is foreboding. The darkness is closer and darker. You are alone.
A long time ago from my point of view Moses died and not as long ago, but still a long time from my point of view Elijah rode a tornado up to heaven. Moses went before Israel received his inheritance and Elijah went up as Israel was squandering it. The glory days of Israel just couldn't quite come together under the direction of sinful man. David and Solomon gave us a pretty good hint, but it was full of flaws even with them calling the shots. Nobody could see past their own short sightedness. Selfishness, pride and corruption always raises it's ugly head.
In the fullness of time the Son of God is born into the land of promise without the wisdom and compassion of God in his ear and on his tongue. On a mountain top with three of his disciples in tow the fog sets in. Scripture calls it a cloud. It's just fog when you are inside it and can't see the outside world. Nobody could see in. Nobody could see out. It was secluded, private. This was no ordinary fog. Jesus was wearing his heavenly best. He was wearing the Glory of God. Moses and Elijah both stood there seeing Jesus as they were accustomed to seeing God and discussing his exodus from Jerusalem. That's code for death. I wonder, "were they just discussing the date on the calendar? Was it a review of the final plans? Could the two be encouraging Jesus with words from the Scriptures?" I suspect the details aren't as important as the fact that God's promise and mercy were about to show the world what He was doing to clear up all the haze from our eyes, hearts and lives. Jesus was going to Jerusalem to die for the sins of all the people of the world. The creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them was going to experience as a man the consequence of man's wrongs and rebellion. The fog was going to be lifted. No longer like Adam and Eve will we need to hide from the view of God (as if we could anyway, but we tell ourselves we can because we don't see him). Since Christ has atoned for our sin we are invited and called into the Father's presence. The Son hosts a banquet in which he gives to us his very body and blood to eat and to drink to deliver forgiveness into our very mouths sustaining us in this life and showing us the glory of the life to come. The light of Christ takes away all fear.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Forecast: A proclaimed Incarnate, Crucified, Risen and Ascended Christ

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Honestly, I hate the rain. Didn't used to mind it at all, but when it comes and stays it becomes unnerving. It's simple geography. Here in this part of the country the ground doesn't soak up the rain very well. Lots of clay here. So the yard gets very wet and squishy and stays that way for weeks and even months at a time. It ruins parades, picnics, sunning and bike rides. On the other hand, drought doesn't make our grass wither here until maybe August. Mowing is good exercise when you push an acre.
But I digress.
This is an opportunity for me to muse and share about the faith delivered to the Saints. I'm not speaking in the Roman sense, but the Scriptural sense, the believers in Christ. The ones through the ages who have stood their ground against teeth, blade, slander, the sinful self, nature and all the assaults of the devil because the Word of Christ held them up. It picked them up when they fell on their own accord or at the invitation of temptation. The Christ who spoke his Word of promise made good on his promise unto their death because they were already part of his. Baptism. Water and the Word.
It's the kind of wet I don't mind at all.