Photo: Somewhere between Pincher Creek and Beauvais Lake this morning
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace”
Category: Sky
In spiritandtruth
The truth dawns
“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” -Jesus
(John 4:23-24 The Message)
I used to think that this passage, often translated “worship Him in spirit and in truth,” was about balancing left brain and right brain approaches to life, that is, the intuitive feely stuff versus solid doctrinal fact-filled logical study. My interpretation was an attempt to find balance between my flag-waving, dancing-in-the-aisles, go-with-the-flow friends and my chapter-and-verse, decently-and-in-order friends. Then I started thinking, since when is worshiping God in spirit not worshiping in truth, and since when does worship in truth not involve the spirit? I checked with a Koine Greek scholar and he said those two words are not separated in the Greek. It does not say “worship Him in spirit but also worship Him in truth”. It says “worship Him in spiritandtruth.”
The discussion Jesus was having with the Samaritan woman was about where proper worship should take place. He answered her place question by saying the time is coming -oh, wait a second, it’s here now- that you will worship Him in the reality of the spiritual.
Paul wrote in Colossians 1:27: For I am a minister of the Church by divine commission, a commission granted to me for your benefit and for a special purpose: that I might fully declare God’s word—that sacred mystery which up to now has been hidden in every age and every generation, but which is now as clear as daylight to those who love God. They are those to whom God has planned to give a vision of the full wonder and splendour of his secret plan for the sons of men. Yes, and the secret is simply this: Christ in you! Christ in you bringing with him the hope of all glorious things to come. (Phillips)
Christ in me?
Wow.
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Happy Rosh Hashana
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Thy Kingdom come
Photo: Toward the Gap
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
(psalm 145:10-13)
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A Walk in the Park
Photos: The park
Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
(Psalm 116:7-9)
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Fret not
Photo: Dusk in the Elk Valley
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
(Psalm 37:1-11)
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Fear/Fear Not
Mountains, Valleys and Forest
“Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.”
(Psalm 85:9)
“Fear not, O land;
be glad and rejoice,
for the Lord has done great things!
Fear not, you beasts of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit;
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.”
(Joel 2:20-22)
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Green Pastures
Photos: Green Pastures along the Burmis Road
I happened to have this song playing in the car as I drove the Burmis Road to Castle Mountain the other day. It reminds me of The Vicar of Dibley re-runs (which I love) and the beautiful green fields of the UK (which I also love), so it seemed entirely appropriate. I rolled down the windows and sang along.
Charis: Subject to Change 