Whatsoever |
Whatsoever |
This earlier blog post reflected on waiting particularly from the perspective of Simeon, in the Bible, who had waited for the Messiah to appear. Here are some more reflections about waiting. The world learning about waiting : `Our 21st century western perspective of time and space - it was thrown by the pandemic - nothing is as it was and we all had to wait, for end of lockdown, for the vaccine, for the chance of travelling again, for normal connections with people to resume. It took far longer than we imagined. The impacts have been far worse. It is clear that we know nothing at all about so much. What are does waiting feel like?:
The ultimate waiting However, despite all these feelings about waiting, there are also much more profound times of waiting that can cut far deeper: Waiting for the second coming, waiting for death, waiting for love, waiting for conception, waiting for the 'second shoe to drop' Each of these brings great challenges as they may be impossibly distant, terrifyingly real, resignedly impossible, scarily uncontrollable, worryingly pessimistic. So, what is positive, hopefully, real and affirming about waiting? ‘`Good things come to those who wait’ - where does that phrase come from? We know that impatience and rushing can lead to the gimcrack and unsatisfying. Grabbing and forestalling the true processes can give less than the best, much less. ‘Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord’ - This from Psalm 27 is about the way to do the waiting - so it is not weak, pessimistic and pathetic but it is possible to do the waiting strong and optimistically, hopefully. There is a restfulness in waiting - a freedom in ‘there is nothing I can do’. It can be a time of receiving, slowing down. And it requires a load of trust. Trust that I am waiting in the right place, trust that ‘all things are working together for good’, trust that there is a plan even if I haven’t seen it. It helps to get a bit more understanding of time and eternity. The Psalms are a great place to go for this. What do Psalm 27 and Psalm 90 tell us about time? Psalm 27 - is about becoming free, and the way to do this is to dwell ‘in the house of the Lord, safe, hidden, set on the rock. He cries for mercy, for God not to forsake him but to lead and guide. The pslam is full of yearning and hope and ends with the glorious words (v 13,14) - and if they are reversed, it would read….’Wait for the lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord’….’ I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living’ In Psalm 90 there are many references to time. eg v4: ‘A thousand years in your slght are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night’. V12: ‘teach us to number our days, that we may gain the heart of wisdom’. V14: ‘Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days’. Another place in the Bible that helps in waiting Surprisingly, perhaps, this can be found at the very beginning and end of the book of the Acts of the Apostles. It is usual to characterise this book as a great adventure story of the spread of the gospel and the growth of the church, full of movement and drama and action. However, right at the beginning, in chapter 1, we read of a group of people having to wait, not knowing all the answers. They then have to make a journey and wait again Then right at the end of this roller-coaster of a book in chapter 28 we find that great activist, Paul waiting in Rome, in rented accommodation, using that time of waiting to proclaim the kingdom and teaching about Jesus Christ. Waiting is necessary, powerful, and worth it.....something is happening, even if we are not quite sure what! As you wait, and think nothing is happening, things are going on in the background, and perhaps if we weren’t forced to stop and wait, the really important things would not happen. Acts 1:1-11
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 28:26,30-31 “ 'Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” …. …..For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ---with all boldness and without hindrance!
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Today is Palm Sunday, the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The story appears in the Bible in Luke 19: 28-44 In the Victoria and Albert Museum in London there is a striking piece showing Jesus on a donkey. It would have been carried through the streets on this day. The artist is unknown but it was made in the 15th century. As I made a drawing of this I was struck by how, humble, how strange and how vulnerable Jesus was with those bare feet dangling down nearly touching the rough pebbles on the road. Several years ago I wrote a poem imagining being there on that day
The blanket by Gillian Phillips I love this piece of cloth. It has been with me for many years- Given me warmth on cold damp nights Caught tightly around my shoulders Given me comfort when I have felt lonely When the noise and demands of life have been so great. I know it well – that burn in the corner from the camp fire last year That worn part from where I tie it tight And soft matted where it strokes my cheek. This piece of cloth has almost become part of me, part of who I am. And yet, yesterday, I let go. I saw another need No, not need. That beast didn’t need a carpet to walk on And that man didn’t need a donkey to ride on. But at that moment, on the road going down to the city I had a purpose To provide honour for this procession I could take part. I untied the blanket from my shoulders And with a glorious flourish, let it swing round And fall wide on that dusty ground And as I watched that man ride on He caught my eye, nodded, smiled. That part of me became part of that royal procession All around there were shouts, Some grabbed branches. There was Exultation, joy. But for me the joy was quiet inside, quiet underneath. It took me a while afterwards to find the blanket It had been kicked away as the crowd passed It is torn now, stained, thinner. And more, so much more precious It made a way for the King; I made a way for the King. A collage and print from 'The Blanket' I wanted to make an image from this poem. I started with the text, cut around it and pasted it onto paper that I had painted red. I then went over this with pastels and more paint. After taking a print from this onto clean paper, I cut the image down into strips, leaving the remnant of the words, and arranged them so that they made a composition. I then scoured into it with a lump of chalk. What has emerged has some of the pain of the days to come. Yet the print I made earlier is a more gently and hopeful image, perhaps pointing to the resurrection beyond. Psalm 25:4-5 Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long. There are several ways and paths to notice and follow - while the rock beneath is true.
We just need to be teachable - to listen, learn, understand, practice and apply. Lord in this season of watching and waiting, lead me along your paths.
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WhatsoeverThe posts are 'postcards' on my journey through faith and art. The name 'Whatsoever' comes from Philippians 4:8 in the Bible : Categories
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