18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart. 1 Cor 1:18-19 ESV
When all was naught, when neither energy nor matter, neither space nor time existed, You existed. In emptiness You alone were infinite fullness, and from Your infinitude through absence all things came to being. Where there was no space to be filled your fullness made space to overflow into. You are the ontological mover, the One from whom and by whom all things were made and without whom not even nothing would be made. Your existence is even necessary to predicate such a thing as non-existence, for without You there is neither existence nor nonexistence, for there is no thought not concept to comprehend the negation of the ontological necessity of You.
Your ways are higher than my ways, Your thoughts higher than my thoughts. You act in mysterious ways that we can neither observe nor understand. For you became incarnate as a man who neither betrayed the Glory of God to those around him, nor thought the glory a thing to be grasped but humbled himself to death, even death on a cross! And so the incomprehensible mystery of the cross, of infinite humility killing the infinite deity. The death of Life itself, and yet in that death, the death of death itself. Life giving death, the abdication of death by death itself. Oh Glorious Holy Mystery! How I yearn to dwell in your mystic incomprehensibility!
All my wisdom, all my ways, all my self-reliance, my feeble power is swallowed up in the mysterious ways of God.
From the cross thy wisdom shining,
Breaketh forth in conquering might
From the cross forever beameth
All Thy bright redeeming light
Oh Mysterious Cross! The wisdom of God shining as death and suffering redeem! In the broken places, in death on the cross comes the conquering redeeming light. Not in chariots and horses, not in regal glory, but instead in abject despondance and brokenness. Oh the folly of God that causes the wise to stumble and the arrogant to fall, but to use who cry out in despair and hopelessness we are given hope and life, we are raised from the pit and into a new life, not just one of a new experience of this life, but a new life all together which permeates all things and raises us to be no longer creatures of God, but instead sons and daughters of God.
Lord, keep us steadfast in your Word;
Curb those who by deceit or sword
Would wrest the kingdom from your Son
And bring to nought all he has done.
Lord Jesus Christ, your power make known,
For you are Loud of lords alone;
Defend your holy Church that we
May sing your praise triumphantly.
O Comforter of priceless worth,
Send peace and unity on earth;
Support us in our final strife
And lead us out of death of life.
Keep us steadfast in your Word, hold us in the gospel light never to fall away from your son. Oh Lord of Lords and King of Kings, hold us in your hand, guide and lead us through the dark nights of life and lead us by your ever shining light. For from the cross your love and grace call us from death to life through the Holy Spirit. Guard and protect your church, lead it to unity in your Word and Spirit.
Quotes taken from the LSB. Thy Strong Word, and Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in your Word are written by Franzmann and Martin Luther respectively.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
help....
Oddly it seems that we are unable to desire the light
until we are surround by pitch black night.
Lost in the eve of grief and hopeless despair,
we finally seem about life to care.
Gone the easy peaceful days,
spent lazing in the sun's comforting rays,
replaced by nights full of tears,
and many many lonely years.
Where did it all go awry?
rise to deaf heaven my bootless cry!
shake awake the Lord from groggy slumber,
Lord! your help no longer encumber!
until we are surround by pitch black night.
Lost in the eve of grief and hopeless despair,
we finally seem about life to care.
Gone the easy peaceful days,
spent lazing in the sun's comforting rays,
replaced by nights full of tears,
and many many lonely years.
Where did it all go awry?
rise to deaf heaven my bootless cry!
shake awake the Lord from groggy slumber,
Lord! your help no longer encumber!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
prayer
Many would consider me fortunate, blessed, given to a wonderful life full of joy, but it is all a lie. I would give up everything I own, everyone who loves me here for the opportunity to spend just one moment in the incomparable ecstasy of divine union. Oh Lord it is you alone I long for, you alone I desire! All other things pale in comparison to you and your divine Glory! I am a broken and shattered man without you. I could be king of the world and be loved by all and have all, and I would still give it all up for you. Sola Deus!
I yearn in bitter longing, I am in misery day and night! Every moment spent apart from you is the worst torture, far worse than anything that man in his sinfulness could devise. Hide not your face from me! Kiss me with the kiss of thy mouth! Destroy me in thy brilliant glory and unite me to you in everlasting praise and love! Lord I beg you, grant me your presence lest I die of yearning!
Sonnet 23 by William Shakespeare:
When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf Heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least:
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee,--and then my state
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings'.
The Pulley by George Herbert:
VVHen God at first made man,
Having a glasse of blessings standing by;
Let us (said he) poure on him all we can:
Let the worlds riches, which dispersed lie,
Contract into a span.
So strength first made a way;
Then beautie flow’d, then wisdome, honour, pleasure:
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that alone of all his treasure
Rest in the bottome lay.
For if I should (said he)
Bestow this jewell also on my creature,
He would adore my gifts in stead of me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature:
So both should losers be.
Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlesnesse:
Let him be rich and wearie, that at least,
If goodnesse leade him not, yet wearinesse
May tosse him to my breast.
I yearn in bitter longing, I am in misery day and night! Every moment spent apart from you is the worst torture, far worse than anything that man in his sinfulness could devise. Hide not your face from me! Kiss me with the kiss of thy mouth! Destroy me in thy brilliant glory and unite me to you in everlasting praise and love! Lord I beg you, grant me your presence lest I die of yearning!
Sonnet 23 by William Shakespeare:
When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf Heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least:
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee,--and then my state
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings'.
The Pulley by George Herbert:
VVHen God at first made man,
Having a glasse of blessings standing by;
Let us (said he) poure on him all we can:
Let the worlds riches, which dispersed lie,
Contract into a span.
So strength first made a way;
Then beautie flow’d, then wisdome, honour, pleasure:
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that alone of all his treasure
Rest in the bottome lay.
For if I should (said he)
Bestow this jewell also on my creature,
He would adore my gifts in stead of me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature:
So both should losers be.
Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlesnesse:
Let him be rich and wearie, that at least,
If goodnesse leade him not, yet wearinesse
May tosse him to my breast.
hear my cry!
"For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain"
Oh what sorrow fills my soul that the one thing it yearns for cannot be? To meet with and dwell with Thee forevermore, no longer suffering thy absence through ontological disunion. To be unified, brought together, lost in the infinite sea of your Glory! To live is Christ, to die is gain. I live for your service, I am your hands, your mouth, part of your body working for your will here on earth, yet even in this working I am heart broken, shattered by hopeless longing for you. To die would be gain, but alas death does not come unless you will it, and so I suffer longingly for thy face, and know that only by your desire and will shall my desire be fulfilled. Teasing God! who toys with my soul into terrible ecstasy yet bitter pain! Fulfill what you inspire! Lord how I long, I I yearn. As a deer pants for water in a dry weary land, so my soul pants for you. Lord hear my cry! Fill me! save me from this bitter torment!
Oh what sorrow fills my soul that the one thing it yearns for cannot be? To meet with and dwell with Thee forevermore, no longer suffering thy absence through ontological disunion. To be unified, brought together, lost in the infinite sea of your Glory! To live is Christ, to die is gain. I live for your service, I am your hands, your mouth, part of your body working for your will here on earth, yet even in this working I am heart broken, shattered by hopeless longing for you. To die would be gain, but alas death does not come unless you will it, and so I suffer longingly for thy face, and know that only by your desire and will shall my desire be fulfilled. Teasing God! who toys with my soul into terrible ecstasy yet bitter pain! Fulfill what you inspire! Lord how I long, I I yearn. As a deer pants for water in a dry weary land, so my soul pants for you. Lord hear my cry! Fill me! save me from this bitter torment!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Creation Story
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word proceeded from the One eternal deity and produced others, finite others. The Word created the finite, who would always be infinitely other than the deity. Even without the Fall of man we were other to God. O fortunate fall! Oh happy fault! For the Word became flesh and dwellt among us, and his was the glory of the eternal Father. His was an infinite majesty, and endless glory. Yet despite his infinite deity he humbled himself and became finite. The infinite Other became finite and dwellt with us, and in that dwelling we entered into the infinite majesty, the infinite Glory. We are ontologically incapable of uniting with the absolute Other as it is an infinite divide between creator and created. Only the infinite deity could cross the infinite gap predicated by mere existence. And so the infinite became finite, and in becoming finite bridged the infinite gap and now we can have union with the infinite God.
How to live in darkness
What is the point of life? Why do we live? why do we suffer? why do we continually go day by day suffering infirmities, suffering scorn, suffering pain, loss, anger, sorrow and death? There is only one reason why we live, there is only one reason that we can claim to carry us through the tempestuous sea of life. We live to bring Glory to God.
I recently had a dream in which two friends died within a few days of each other, and in it I screamed and raged, I felt such anger, such disgust with life. I turned to a mentor and shared such thoughts, such pain over death, and his response was not words, or advice. He merely joined in a song that rose from the sullen earth, the land of the shadow of death. To remember that glad strain! that brilliant report! But alas I can only remember a little
Praise be to God the Father,
creator of Earth and Heaven above.
Praise be to the resurrected son,
ever living sacrifice of love,
Praise be to the sustaining Spirit,
immediate baptismal dove.
At which point I stopped thinking of the song and thought instead of how long it has been since I bowed down giving honor and praise to the Triune Deity, how long its been since I ceased my ever present selfish thoughts and focused on the brilliant Glory of the uncreated ineffable light.
We were created to glorify God. To rest in mystic sweet communion gazing in all encompassing love upon the brilliant Glory of God. I have failed to live a proper life, I have been caught up in the waves and tides of the world, thrown about by the tempest of a sinful existence, lost in terrible self love. Lord be thou my vision and thou alone, let none else enter my gaze and let me fall in abject praise of thy eternal uncreated Glory! May my life be filled with thou and thou alone!
I recently had a dream in which two friends died within a few days of each other, and in it I screamed and raged, I felt such anger, such disgust with life. I turned to a mentor and shared such thoughts, such pain over death, and his response was not words, or advice. He merely joined in a song that rose from the sullen earth, the land of the shadow of death. To remember that glad strain! that brilliant report! But alas I can only remember a little
Praise be to God the Father,
creator of Earth and Heaven above.
Praise be to the resurrected son,
ever living sacrifice of love,
Praise be to the sustaining Spirit,
immediate baptismal dove.
At which point I stopped thinking of the song and thought instead of how long it has been since I bowed down giving honor and praise to the Triune Deity, how long its been since I ceased my ever present selfish thoughts and focused on the brilliant Glory of the uncreated ineffable light.
We were created to glorify God. To rest in mystic sweet communion gazing in all encompassing love upon the brilliant Glory of God. I have failed to live a proper life, I have been caught up in the waves and tides of the world, thrown about by the tempest of a sinful existence, lost in terrible self love. Lord be thou my vision and thou alone, let none else enter my gaze and let me fall in abject praise of thy eternal uncreated Glory! May my life be filled with thou and thou alone!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Hopeful Sonnet
Wert I to be thine alone, and thou mine,
ne'er lost to sinful and idle yearning,
Oh to be thine and thine beyond all time!
Mine heart in hopeful agony burning.
But soft, what wretch'd grief within at my sin,
Saint and sinner together juxtaposed,
wayward passions a cacaphonus din!
Oh beaut'ful Christ, thy blood mine guilt enclos'd.
Oh may I, may I hope in thy coming.
Conformed to thy bright ineffabel will,
my heart shine thy glory ever stunning,
may earths pleasures my hunger ne'er fill.
Glory to the Father, Son, and Spirit,
All praise and honor to thee I commit.
ne'er lost to sinful and idle yearning,
Oh to be thine and thine beyond all time!
Mine heart in hopeful agony burning.
But soft, what wretch'd grief within at my sin,
Saint and sinner together juxtaposed,
wayward passions a cacaphonus din!
Oh beaut'ful Christ, thy blood mine guilt enclos'd.
Oh may I, may I hope in thy coming.
Conformed to thy bright ineffabel will,
my heart shine thy glory ever stunning,
may earths pleasures my hunger ne'er fill.
Glory to the Father, Son, and Spirit,
All praise and honor to thee I commit.
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