I was imagining a real sense of drama as I read this. The drama of the darkness and moody feeling of nothingness as the earth was without form and void – with the Spirit of God moving around as though, perhaps, he’s searching for something.
And then, “Bang”, God says, “Let there be light!”, And there was !!
What that must have looked like when he did that, and there was light for the first time….
I have this dramatic image of an enormous lightning strike that pierced the darkness with forks spreading across the sky until it was all lit up. Or was it just like turning on a light switch and the darkness was instantly replaced by light?
We naturally associate the light with the sun, but he didn’t create the sun until the fourth day (verses 14-19), so was the initial burst of light simply an incredible burst of pure energy?
It’s interesting how questions raise themselves when you give yourself time to read and ponder. Usually, when preparing a sermon, there is the pressure of time to get it done by. That pressure can have the detrimental effect of causing me to skim lightly over the text and look only for the obvious things. On the other hand, time pressures can also have the positive effects of focussing the mind and being kept from distraction.
But is seems to me that there needs to be the spiritual discipline of producing the space to allow ourselves to consume God’s word, and like his Spirit, be ‘moving over the waters’ (of our souls).
If I give myself, and God, the space to move over my soul, then perhaps he will be searching me. And then, who knows? Bang! He may even create something new in me! Some light may be born in my soul where before, there was only darkness. And the light will be good, and a new day will dawn in my life…the first day of the rest of my life (so to speak).
2 comments:
I felt your blog today merited a brief return from my current void, especially given the chink of light today from the American election results.
As an atheist I agree with everything you say in your article! I may be “preaching to the converted” (!) but I recommend you listen to the first 8 minutes of “The Creation” by Franz Joseph Haydn, and perhaps download it (legally!) for the benefit of any of your readers who have not already heard it, as it is certainly a musical expression of what you expressed today in words. However, it is a two hour piece, based on Genesis, the Psalms, and the poem “Paradise Lost” by John Milton, and the first eight minutes only are highly recommended.
It starts off with six minutes of orchestral music, very much in the vein of “the drama of the darkness and moody feeling of nothingness” to use your own words. Then (appropriately) the bass comes in with the first three verses of Genesis, taken of course from the St James version:
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”
However the chorus (appropriately enough, for they are the rest of us) finish verse three:
“And the spirit of God moved over the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: AND THERE WAS LIGHT”
I must compliment you on your tremendous blogging over the past weeks - all prompted I presume due to your enforced time at home as a result of your pursuit of “The Lost Sheep” or “The Good Thief”, or whatever you call him. (Forgive the twisted Scottish humour). I look forward to commenting on many of the blogs if and when I return to human society. It was your blog in January “Contemplating Abandonment” which inspired me to start on my lengthy comments - and today you inspired me to briefly dip my toe into cyberspace again.
If the Wednesday evening “Soul Space” is still running, pass on my fond memories and thanks to all concerned. I do hope I will feel able to return at some stage to these Wednesday evenings, which were very much vital and life giving times for me.
Your phrase “The first day of the rest of your life” brought a few smiles and memories of the spirit of the sixties, which is when I first heard that phrase. I will end with another phrase from the sixties “Keep the Faith, baby, - You are now entering the liberated zone”.
(7 November 2006)
lawrence me old mate!
great to read you again, and thanks for your insight, encouragement, and years of living that make such good reading.
i always felt like i was too young to understand, participate, protest, and enjoy the '60s - i was still in short pants at primary school.
faith still kept; liberation still in process.
Post a Comment