March 02, 2005
"Recapture the Wonder"
"Recapture the Wonder"
Dear Friends,
"Recapture the Wonder" is the title of a fairly recent book by Ravi Zacharias. I was reminded of this book twice today, first by the poem Peggy Hood posted, in which she asked ". . . do you not just marvel / At the wonders of Almighty God?" and she also remarks on the " . . . WONDER of wonders, on Calvary! / Wondrous and precious, HIS Grace . . . " in her poem. The second reminder was when I received in the mail "The Olive Leaf", a weekly publication from Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia, and read the essay by Elder Thomas Mann titled "Ghost Clock". I can't put my hands on RZ's book right now, but Elder Mann has graciously given permission for me to copy his essay for Jerusalem's Daughters.
We sing the hymn "My Savior's Love" (#270 in the OSH, 12th), which contains these words:
In Him,
Elaine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ghost Clock"
by Elder Thomas Mann
"In the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D. C., there resides a popular sculpture by Wendell Castle called Ghost Clock. In appearance, it is a Grandfather Clock, covered by a sheet of muslin.
A few days ago I stood in surprise as the docent explained to our group that this was the most popular piece of art in the Renwick Gallery. What, I wondered, could anyone possibly see in an old clock covered by a sheet? Modern art had reached the zenith of folly, it seemed to me.
Then she bid us lean across the protective rail and look closer. To our utter disbelief, we soon realized that the display was no clock at all, and its "covering" was no sheet. Instead, the entire work was a sculpture, cleverly carved from a single block of mahogany--every fold of the "cloth," and even its very texture and tie string!
Our group gasped in wonder.
We were told that Ghost Clock serves as a powerful example of what is called trompe l'oeil, a French term that means "to fool the eye." And I daresay, every eye was fooled!
This experience brought to mind an even more powerful spiritual lesson which we all do well to ponder.
Things are not always as they appear! This obvious fact escapes us sometimes when we, as humans, act, based solely on observable data and personal intuition. The beauty of God's Word is that it shows things not as they often appear, but as they are in reality. The Bible, God's revelation to man, is a "lamp to our feet and a light to our path" (Psalm 119:105). It serves to bid us step closer and gaze at things through the lens of divine revelation. We often step back in amazement when we see things as God has revealed them!
But because things are not always as they appear, God Himself is often seen by humans in a light unworthy of Him. In other words, many people walk past God every day, as it were, and never give Him a second glance because He seems so ordinary, so parochial. We look at the work of the Ultimate Artist and say, "What could anybody see in that?" Or we look at His biblical descriptions of His own interaction with mankind and say, "It's just folly at its zenith."
But then we are bidden to look closer.
And what we see defies description!
We see a God of truth and without iniquity. A God of justice and sovereignty who is a consuming fire. A personal God of mercy and longsuffering who is the savior of sinners. Most of all, we see a God before whom we can only bow as the whispered wonder escapes our lips and the "wow" (in whatever form) arises in worship before His Majesty.
I am confident that low acts of worship result from low views of God and that high acts of worship spring from high views of God. Have you ever been staring at the seemingly ordinary truths of God and had a sense of wonder arise from within as you looked closer, seeing something of His glory and splendor? Such should characterize all our worship, especially our corporate endeavors in church.
Standing before an old clock covered by a sheet I found to evoke nothing but criticisms muttered under the breath. But standing before a hand-carved masterpiece summoned only respect and awe. May our latent criticisms of God and His work dissolve into expressions of wonder, love and praise!"
Copyright © 2004 www.salvationbygracealone.com
""Recapture the Wonder" - Elaine Housley
"Recapture the Wonder" is the title of a fairly recent book by Ravi Zacharias. I was reminded of this book twice today, first by the poem Peggy Hood posted, in which she asked ". . . do you not just marvel / At the wonders of Almighty God?" and she also remarks on the " . . . WONDER of wonders, on Calvary! / Wondrous and precious, HIS Grace . . . " in her poem. The second reminder was when I received in the mail "The Olive Leaf", a weekly publication from Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia, and read the essay by Elder Thomas Mann titled "Ghost Clock". I can't put my hands on RZ's book right now, but Elder Mann has graciously given permission for me to copy his essay for Jerusalem's Daughters.
We sing the hymn "My Savior's Love" (#270 in the OSH, 12th), which contains these words:
I stand amazed in the presenceLet us sing now of His love, and express--in our moment of history--His "wonder, love and praise" to a broken, needy and watching world.
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean
How marvelous! how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be;
How marvelous! how wonderful
Is my Savior's love for me!
The last verse of the hymn is this:
When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
'Twill be my joy thru the ages
To sing of His love for me.
In Him,
Elaine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ghost Clock"
by Elder Thomas Mann
"In the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D. C., there resides a popular sculpture by Wendell Castle called Ghost Clock. In appearance, it is a Grandfather Clock, covered by a sheet of muslin.
A few days ago I stood in surprise as the docent explained to our group that this was the most popular piece of art in the Renwick Gallery. What, I wondered, could anyone possibly see in an old clock covered by a sheet? Modern art had reached the zenith of folly, it seemed to me.
Then she bid us lean across the protective rail and look closer. To our utter disbelief, we soon realized that the display was no clock at all, and its "covering" was no sheet. Instead, the entire work was a sculpture, cleverly carved from a single block of mahogany--every fold of the "cloth," and even its very texture and tie string!
Our group gasped in wonder.
We were told that Ghost Clock serves as a powerful example of what is called trompe l'oeil, a French term that means "to fool the eye." And I daresay, every eye was fooled!
This experience brought to mind an even more powerful spiritual lesson which we all do well to ponder.
Things are not always as they appear! This obvious fact escapes us sometimes when we, as humans, act, based solely on observable data and personal intuition. The beauty of God's Word is that it shows things not as they often appear, but as they are in reality. The Bible, God's revelation to man, is a "lamp to our feet and a light to our path" (Psalm 119:105). It serves to bid us step closer and gaze at things through the lens of divine revelation. We often step back in amazement when we see things as God has revealed them!
But because things are not always as they appear, God Himself is often seen by humans in a light unworthy of Him. In other words, many people walk past God every day, as it were, and never give Him a second glance because He seems so ordinary, so parochial. We look at the work of the Ultimate Artist and say, "What could anybody see in that?" Or we look at His biblical descriptions of His own interaction with mankind and say, "It's just folly at its zenith."
But then we are bidden to look closer.
And what we see defies description!
We see a God of truth and without iniquity. A God of justice and sovereignty who is a consuming fire. A personal God of mercy and longsuffering who is the savior of sinners. Most of all, we see a God before whom we can only bow as the whispered wonder escapes our lips and the "wow" (in whatever form) arises in worship before His Majesty.
I am confident that low acts of worship result from low views of God and that high acts of worship spring from high views of God. Have you ever been staring at the seemingly ordinary truths of God and had a sense of wonder arise from within as you looked closer, seeing something of His glory and splendor? Such should characterize all our worship, especially our corporate endeavors in church.
Standing before an old clock covered by a sheet I found to evoke nothing but criticisms muttered under the breath. But standing before a hand-carved masterpiece summoned only respect and awe. May our latent criticisms of God and His work dissolve into expressions of wonder, love and praise!"
| "Recapture the Wonder" | SBGA | Elaine Housley |
Copyright © 2004 www.salvationbygracealone.com
""Recapture the Wonder" - Elaine Housley