I am starting off the year in a contemplative mood! I think its a good thing!
One of the authors I am reading is N.T. Wright and he wrote a book entitled - "For All God's Worth."
Here is an excerp:
"What is the most beautiful thing you have experienced this week?
Maybe something you heard. Maybe some beautiful music - perhaps in a church or in a cathedral.
Maybe something you saw in the world of nature: the sun breaking through the mist and making the autumn leaves luminous; the curl of a squirrel's tail as he sat nibbling a nut.
It might be something you smelt: the scent of a rose, perhaps the smell of a good meal cooking when you were hungry.
It might be something you tasted: an exquisite wine, a special cheese, that same meal well seasoned and well cooked.
Maybe something you experienced in work: things suddenly coming together, an unexpected new opportunity.
It might be something you experienced in human relationships: a quiet, gentle glance from someone you love dearly; some soft squeeze of a child's hand.
Hold the moment in your mind. And ask yourself: what does this beauty do to you?
It enriches you; yes. It warms you inside; yes. It makes you more alive; yes. It makes you stronger; yes. It makes you, perhaps a little humble; you didn't cause this beauty, you didn't make it, it just happened, and happened to you. Yes.
And what does this beauty call out from you?
Gratitude - of course; delight - yes, naturally; a sense of awe - well, perhaps; a sense of longing for something beyond, something just out of reach - quite possibly, though if your experience of beauty was the smell of a good meal I hope it didn't stay out of reach too long.
What about - worship?
Does beauty call out worship from you?"
Wright goes on to talk about beauty and worship and how they are connected to God. God is the author of beauty and God is worthy of our worship. It makes him more real and gives us the opportunity to be drawn to him as we go about our day everyday. May we all find ways of finding God in our all day every day as we start this New Year!
Until next time...
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I love this, Jack. I've been contemplating beauty and how it's defined by the world vs. how it's defined by the Lord. I've even thought about changing my blog up a bit and giving it more of a "beauty" theme. It's amazing how little things become more beautiful when you think about how the Lord created every being and every moment. It should spur us on to worship, shouldn't it? Hmmm.... I need to work on that one.
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