Most of the power outages caused by Hurricane Ike have now been repaired, to the relief of Houston and the surrounding towns. Human beings can, of course, live indefinitely without electricity; but "life as we know it" is so dependent on that power that people tend to get ugly if it's off for even a few hours. Halfway through last week, someone hung a notice on my apartment complex's bulletin board urging everyone to blitz the power company with demands for instant results.
It's strange how many people go ballistic over losing their everyday luxuries--and how few show even small concern about losing access to God's Power, without which life would truly cease to exist. Thousands of people are sure they "can get along fine without a father figure in the sky" or "don't want a bunch of religious rules weighing me down." Even Christians frequently "pull the plug" on God's power: rarely opening their Bibles; going to church only a few times a year; and praying mostly when they're in trouble.
An appliance can be in perfect condition and so can the electrical service, but if the cord stays unplugged, you'll get no more useful work out of that appliance than if you were alone with it in the middle of untrodden wilderness. Likewise, we have to "plug ourselves in" with regular worship and prayer if we truly want to see what God can do.
Electrical power flows forth through wires,
And runs many a useful thing;
But if wires are cut or the plug is pulled,
All goes dead as a dried-up spring.
The Power for life flows forth from God,
And gives light to the paths we tread;
But if you pull plugs on your line to Him,
Then your spiritual life goes dead.
Turn on your switch to tap God's Power--
Give your heart and your mind to prayer--
To receive all the strength He has for you,
And be sure He will meet you there!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Not the Gift But the Giver
The parable of the talents is among the first Bible stories taught in most Sunday schools. A rich man entrusted sums of money to three of his servants, apparently instructing them to make wise use of the gifts. Two of the servants doubled their holdings. The third was afraid to make even the most cautious investment, so he hid his share away where it would be "safe"--and useless. The master, upon receiving their reports, angrily removed the third servant from any further position of responsibility.
What comes as a surprise is the rationale behind the master's anger. The servant wasn't simply cowardly and indecisive to act as he did; he was "lazy" and "wicked." In other words, failure to make use of the master's investment was on the level of the indictment in James 4:17 (NIV): "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." We like to think that if we do nothing, we can't be doing anything wrong; Jesus says that there are times when God expects positive action, and if we refuse to take it, we are committing the sin of defying God.
Why did the servant in the parable commit this sin? For one thing, he apparently lacked confidence in his ability to bring in a profit, and feared that any attempt to invest the money would mean loss instead of gain. Moreover, he didn't really know his master; he apparently thought he was working for a tyrant (Matthew 25:24-25) who would be furious if the money returned was less than the money given, so he decided it would be safest to make sure that at least the exact amount would remain available. And there may have been another reason as well: perhaps the servant was secretly resentful because he got the smallest amount of money. "One talent" was a sizable enough sum; but another servant had received twice as much and still another five times as much. Perhaps the third servant really felt that "if my master thinks I'm worth so much less than the others, why should I make as much effort as they?"
The parable, of course, is an analogy: God is the Master Who gives each of His servants gifts (money, time, circumstances, abilities) which He expects us to put to good use advancing His Kingdom. Some of us look at the Christian author whose books are bestsellers even in the secular world; the Christian musician who gives fifty well-attended concerts a year and has released a dozen top-selling CDs; or the pastor whose church is growing by the hundreds and thousands of members--and we think, "I'll never be in their league; I can't possibly do anything major for God, so what's the use of even trying?"
Like the servant in the parable, we badly misjudge our Master. We not only imply that He didn't know what He was doing when He chose what gifts to give us, and that He doesn't really care whether we use them or not; but we fail to see that it isn't the size of the gift that matters. It's the size of the Giver. The God Who turned five loaves of bread into a hearty meal for thousands (Matthew 14:14-21) can certainly show us how to turn a single talent into great profit. Because our Master isn't really away on a trip. He's right here with us, just waiting for us to ask for guidance.
One more thing: if you consider yourself to be in the "ten talents and growing" pool, rather than the "one-talent" one, it's still the size of the Giver that counts. God doesn't discipline only those who neglect their talents; people who become arrogant and take all the credit for their success--as if they had created themselves--are if anything headed for a harder fall.
Lord, keep me from the sin of sloth
And also that of fear,
Lest I be like the wicked man
Who held Your talent in his hand,
But hid it in a piece of cloth,
And kept it useless there.
But keep me also safe from pride,
Lest, gifted from Your hand,
I think, "It all depends on me,"
And work not for eternity
But turn my thoughts from You aside,
And build success on sand.
What comes as a surprise is the rationale behind the master's anger. The servant wasn't simply cowardly and indecisive to act as he did; he was "lazy" and "wicked." In other words, failure to make use of the master's investment was on the level of the indictment in James 4:17 (NIV): "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." We like to think that if we do nothing, we can't be doing anything wrong; Jesus says that there are times when God expects positive action, and if we refuse to take it, we are committing the sin of defying God.
Why did the servant in the parable commit this sin? For one thing, he apparently lacked confidence in his ability to bring in a profit, and feared that any attempt to invest the money would mean loss instead of gain. Moreover, he didn't really know his master; he apparently thought he was working for a tyrant (Matthew 25:24-25) who would be furious if the money returned was less than the money given, so he decided it would be safest to make sure that at least the exact amount would remain available. And there may have been another reason as well: perhaps the servant was secretly resentful because he got the smallest amount of money. "One talent" was a sizable enough sum; but another servant had received twice as much and still another five times as much. Perhaps the third servant really felt that "if my master thinks I'm worth so much less than the others, why should I make as much effort as they?"
The parable, of course, is an analogy: God is the Master Who gives each of His servants gifts (money, time, circumstances, abilities) which He expects us to put to good use advancing His Kingdom. Some of us look at the Christian author whose books are bestsellers even in the secular world; the Christian musician who gives fifty well-attended concerts a year and has released a dozen top-selling CDs; or the pastor whose church is growing by the hundreds and thousands of members--and we think, "I'll never be in their league; I can't possibly do anything major for God, so what's the use of even trying?"
Like the servant in the parable, we badly misjudge our Master. We not only imply that He didn't know what He was doing when He chose what gifts to give us, and that He doesn't really care whether we use them or not; but we fail to see that it isn't the size of the gift that matters. It's the size of the Giver. The God Who turned five loaves of bread into a hearty meal for thousands (Matthew 14:14-21) can certainly show us how to turn a single talent into great profit. Because our Master isn't really away on a trip. He's right here with us, just waiting for us to ask for guidance.
One more thing: if you consider yourself to be in the "ten talents and growing" pool, rather than the "one-talent" one, it's still the size of the Giver that counts. God doesn't discipline only those who neglect their talents; people who become arrogant and take all the credit for their success--as if they had created themselves--are if anything headed for a harder fall.
Lord, keep me from the sin of sloth
And also that of fear,
Lest I be like the wicked man
Who held Your talent in his hand,
But hid it in a piece of cloth,
And kept it useless there.
But keep me also safe from pride,
Lest, gifted from Your hand,
I think, "It all depends on me,"
And work not for eternity
But turn my thoughts from You aside,
And build success on sand.
Friday, September 26, 2008
My Heart Sings
Hopefully this is the last update I'll have to post on the power outage here. The electricity came back about 12:50 this afternoon.
Hopefully, also, those of us Houstonians who have or soon will have our service restored won't use it as an excuse to hide behind air-conditioned walls watching television and surfing the Internet, at the expense of enjoying the autumn weather that is just settling in. Anyone who has ever sweated through a Gulf Coast summer knows the arrival of a cooler season as one of God's greatest blessings. Standing under a cloudless sky on a crisp blue day, hair ruffled by a breeze carrying just a hint of chill, watching a kettle (flock) of migrating hawks soaring southward on the high winds, is one of life's finest pleasures.
The natural world in its full glory has inspired many a great hymn. A favorite of mine is "How Great Thou Art," which praises God not only for His marvelous Creation, but also for the greater wonders of redemption--not only of our individual souls, but eventually of the whole natural order.
After His full Kingdom comes, every day will be infinitely more beautiful than the present world's most colorful autumn day.
When I think of all of the wonders of Creation,
Of the stars that stretch beyond any mortal view,
And of the birds with their songs and gleaming feathers,
Of the sea and the sunrise and the sky so blue,
My heart sings
In its joy to behold God's glory;
My heart sings
In its wonder to know God's love;
My heart sings
As I think of His deeds of mercy,
All the treasures that come forth from the Lord above.
When I think of how our God became a mortal,
How He suffered and then died to redeem the lost,
How He spilled His blood for the sake of those who despised Him,
And found the most contemptible fate worth the cost,
My heart sings
In its joy to behold God's glory;
My heart sings
In its wonder to know God's love;
My heart sings
As I think of His deeds of mercy,
All the treasures that come forth from the Lord above.
When I think of the coming day that the Lord has promised,
When all pain and tears and death will dissolve and be no more,
When our God at last shall perfect us, as He is perfect,
And we all shall forever live on His holy shore,
My heart sings
In its joy to behold God's glory;
My heart sings
In its wonder to know God's love;
My heart sings
As I think of His deeds of mercy,
All the treasures that come forth from the Lord above.
Hopefully, also, those of us Houstonians who have or soon will have our service restored won't use it as an excuse to hide behind air-conditioned walls watching television and surfing the Internet, at the expense of enjoying the autumn weather that is just settling in. Anyone who has ever sweated through a Gulf Coast summer knows the arrival of a cooler season as one of God's greatest blessings. Standing under a cloudless sky on a crisp blue day, hair ruffled by a breeze carrying just a hint of chill, watching a kettle (flock) of migrating hawks soaring southward on the high winds, is one of life's finest pleasures.
The natural world in its full glory has inspired many a great hymn. A favorite of mine is "How Great Thou Art," which praises God not only for His marvelous Creation, but also for the greater wonders of redemption--not only of our individual souls, but eventually of the whole natural order.
After His full Kingdom comes, every day will be infinitely more beautiful than the present world's most colorful autumn day.
When I think of all of the wonders of Creation,
Of the stars that stretch beyond any mortal view,
And of the birds with their songs and gleaming feathers,
Of the sea and the sunrise and the sky so blue,
My heart sings
In its joy to behold God's glory;
My heart sings
In its wonder to know God's love;
My heart sings
As I think of His deeds of mercy,
All the treasures that come forth from the Lord above.
When I think of how our God became a mortal,
How He suffered and then died to redeem the lost,
How He spilled His blood for the sake of those who despised Him,
And found the most contemptible fate worth the cost,
My heart sings
In its joy to behold God's glory;
My heart sings
In its wonder to know God's love;
My heart sings
As I think of His deeds of mercy,
All the treasures that come forth from the Lord above.
When I think of the coming day that the Lord has promised,
When all pain and tears and death will dissolve and be no more,
When our God at last shall perfect us, as He is perfect,
And we all shall forever live on His holy shore,
My heart sings
In its joy to behold God's glory;
My heart sings
In its wonder to know God's love;
My heart sings
As I think of His deeds of mercy,
All the treasures that come forth from the Lord above.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
M*O*R*E
The power outage referred to in last week's post-hurricane blog lasted (in the apartment complex where I live) until late Monday evening--then, eighteen hours after electricity was restored, returned in the form of a blown power line fuse. Repairs there would normally take a few hours; but with several thousand hurricane-caused outages still a problem in the area, we're still waiting two days later. Nothing like feeling you're at the bottom of everyone's priority list.
And nothing like a blackout to emphasize how inseparable electricity and priorities can be. A century ago, there were only a few electrical appliances, used mostly by the rich. These days, the average person can hardly check the time, get in touch with a friend, do any work, or get out of bed on a regular schedule without using something that plugs into a wall socket. Most of us are smothering in appliances and gadgets.
And in possessions in general. Two bookcases and a closet worth of my personal property are still stored at the old family home because I can't figure out how to fit it into my current apartment. Anyone who's ever moved to a smaller place--or moved at all--can probably relate. It can take a week just to pack and unpack an average middle-class household's accumulation of "stuff." Much of it quickly becomes clutter and nuisance--yet just try to get the average American to give anything away! "I know I haven't used it in three years--but what if I need it next month?"
Searching for security in the amount of property we own is at least as old as the days of the patriarchs. So is admiration of the rich--and the craving to join them, often to the detriment of our own spiritual and emotional health. Because not only does wealth not bring security, it often seems to decrease it by giving us that many more things to worry about.
The only cure is to concentrate on one thing--pleasing God in all we do. He may not call all of us to give away everything we have (cf. Mt. 19:21). But He does expect us to make Him, not simply our top priority, but our only priority. We can't say, "God, I'll stick with You if [and only if] You grant me these other things."
Unlike us, He can't be fooled into believing that our wants are actually needs.
M is for Miserly: hoard all you can,
Never a penny to share with the needy.
Spend on yourself everything you can spare,
It's only frugal; let none call you greedy.
O is for Owing, which soon comes around
When you use credit to buy things that tempt you.
Spend all you can; charge your cards to the max--
Surely the "pay later" law will exempt you.
R is for Rich, which we all want to be:
Wealth is the god that so many bow down to.
Always be thinking, "What's in it for me?"
Live for the monies that ever astound you.
E is for Evil, which is what it is
To live for "more" and to keep your greed humming.
Those who spend life chasing pleasure and gold
Will wail and weep in the day of God's coming.
And nothing like a blackout to emphasize how inseparable electricity and priorities can be. A century ago, there were only a few electrical appliances, used mostly by the rich. These days, the average person can hardly check the time, get in touch with a friend, do any work, or get out of bed on a regular schedule without using something that plugs into a wall socket. Most of us are smothering in appliances and gadgets.
And in possessions in general. Two bookcases and a closet worth of my personal property are still stored at the old family home because I can't figure out how to fit it into my current apartment. Anyone who's ever moved to a smaller place--or moved at all--can probably relate. It can take a week just to pack and unpack an average middle-class household's accumulation of "stuff." Much of it quickly becomes clutter and nuisance--yet just try to get the average American to give anything away! "I know I haven't used it in three years--but what if I need it next month?"
Searching for security in the amount of property we own is at least as old as the days of the patriarchs. So is admiration of the rich--and the craving to join them, often to the detriment of our own spiritual and emotional health. Because not only does wealth not bring security, it often seems to decrease it by giving us that many more things to worry about.
The only cure is to concentrate on one thing--pleasing God in all we do. He may not call all of us to give away everything we have (cf. Mt. 19:21). But He does expect us to make Him, not simply our top priority, but our only priority. We can't say, "God, I'll stick with You if [and only if] You grant me these other things."
Unlike us, He can't be fooled into believing that our wants are actually needs.
M is for Miserly: hoard all you can,
Never a penny to share with the needy.
Spend on yourself everything you can spare,
It's only frugal; let none call you greedy.
O is for Owing, which soon comes around
When you use credit to buy things that tempt you.
Spend all you can; charge your cards to the max--
Surely the "pay later" law will exempt you.
R is for Rich, which we all want to be:
Wealth is the god that so many bow down to.
Always be thinking, "What's in it for me?"
Live for the monies that ever astound you.
E is for Evil, which is what it is
To live for "more" and to keep your greed humming.
Those who spend life chasing pleasure and gold
Will wail and weep in the day of God's coming.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Lord, Light a Fire within Me
Do you ever feel like a "mechanically defective Christian" (to borrow a line from cartoonist Howard Paris) who, however much you agree with the principle of being active in the Lord's work, just doesn't seem to have the will to get up from the comfortable, safe couch potato life?
Christ said, "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.... apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5). Trying to work for Christ without His power is like trying to run a car without fuel--or trying to dig all the oil and refine it into gasoline ourselves.
If we lack spiritual drive, maybe it's because we've forgotten to ask the Holy Spirit to put fuel in our tanks.
Lord, light a fire within me:
A tiny spark will do;
Ignite it by Your Spirit,
And make its light burn true.
Lord, light a fire within me:
My heart is cold and dark;
Send light into my spirit--
Oh, just one tiny spark--
However small the flicker,
I know that it can grow
As by Your power You feed it,
If You sustain its glow.
The Spirit's wind blows strongly,
And brings Your mighty power
To fan each sputtering ember
And feed it hour by hour
Until the light, enlivened,
Burns strong with steady flame,
And shines with blazing brilliance,
A beacon to Your Name,
A light that can feed others
From the true Source of Light,
Until they too are kindled,
Until their hearts burn bright:
A million flames ignited
Into one blazing fire,
All shining in the darkness
And burning ever higher,
Till the whole world is shining
With Your own holy Light,
And blazing with Your glory
To overcome the night.
Lord, light a fire within me:
However small it glows,
Make it a spark ignited
Through which Your own power flows.
Christ said, "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.... apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5). Trying to work for Christ without His power is like trying to run a car without fuel--or trying to dig all the oil and refine it into gasoline ourselves.
If we lack spiritual drive, maybe it's because we've forgotten to ask the Holy Spirit to put fuel in our tanks.
Lord, light a fire within me:
A tiny spark will do;
Ignite it by Your Spirit,
And make its light burn true.
Lord, light a fire within me:
My heart is cold and dark;
Send light into my spirit--
Oh, just one tiny spark--
However small the flicker,
I know that it can grow
As by Your power You feed it,
If You sustain its glow.
The Spirit's wind blows strongly,
And brings Your mighty power
To fan each sputtering ember
And feed it hour by hour
Until the light, enlivened,
Burns strong with steady flame,
And shines with blazing brilliance,
A beacon to Your Name,
A light that can feed others
From the true Source of Light,
Until they too are kindled,
Until their hearts burn bright:
A million flames ignited
Into one blazing fire,
All shining in the darkness
And burning ever higher,
Till the whole world is shining
With Your own holy Light,
And blazing with Your glory
To overcome the night.
Lord, light a fire within me:
However small it glows,
Make it a spark ignited
Through which Your own power flows.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Lord of Time
All of us have memories we wish we could wipe out, or better yet, go back and do differently. All of us have moments when we would like to be anywhere but in the present situation. And all of us have at least occasional fears regarding an uncertain future.
It's hard to say what's hardest: dealing with the wounds of the past; coping with the struggles of the present; or conquering worry about the future. All three really feed on each other. "Lord of the Past," a popular Christian song in the early 1990s, talks about how the past can make the present miserable--and probably implies that the feelings and actions of the present affect the future. Past sin begets present agony. Present "just this once" begets future habit. Worrying in the present about the future can have especially unpleasant results; once fretting becomes a habit it soon grows into a compulsion, and the failure of past worries to materialize is more likely to add guilt for being so "ridiculous" than to actually lessen anxiety about the future.
"Live in the moment" is the standard pop psychology remedy--and can even be said to have Scriptural warrant (cf. Mt. 6:34). But if we try to conquer past, present, and future by our own willpower, we invariably fall short. God is the only One Who can be trusted with things to come and Who can turn even the worst past into a beautiful present and future (cf. Gen. 50:20; Rom. 8:28).
Things work out best if we make Him Lord of our time.
Our God is Lord of all past times--
So take courage, all you with regret:
However black your past deeds,
However many
Your lost opportunities,
There is hope for you yet.
Our God is Lord of the present--
So take courage if all life seems bleak:
However small your best deeds,
However scanty
Your best opportunities,
God gives strength to the weak.
Our God is Lord of the future--
So take courage; though you cannot see
How the life you are living
Can bear a harvest
From what you have been given,
God knows all that will be.
Our God is Lord over all time--
The Beginning and the End is He:
All past guilt He shall banish,
And He guards the future
Until time shall vanish,
Swallowed in eternity.
It's hard to say what's hardest: dealing with the wounds of the past; coping with the struggles of the present; or conquering worry about the future. All three really feed on each other. "Lord of the Past," a popular Christian song in the early 1990s, talks about how the past can make the present miserable--and probably implies that the feelings and actions of the present affect the future. Past sin begets present agony. Present "just this once" begets future habit. Worrying in the present about the future can have especially unpleasant results; once fretting becomes a habit it soon grows into a compulsion, and the failure of past worries to materialize is more likely to add guilt for being so "ridiculous" than to actually lessen anxiety about the future.
"Live in the moment" is the standard pop psychology remedy--and can even be said to have Scriptural warrant (cf. Mt. 6:34). But if we try to conquer past, present, and future by our own willpower, we invariably fall short. God is the only One Who can be trusted with things to come and Who can turn even the worst past into a beautiful present and future (cf. Gen. 50:20; Rom. 8:28).
Things work out best if we make Him Lord of our time.
Our God is Lord of all past times--
So take courage, all you with regret:
However black your past deeds,
However many
Your lost opportunities,
There is hope for you yet.
Our God is Lord of the present--
So take courage if all life seems bleak:
However small your best deeds,
However scanty
Your best opportunities,
God gives strength to the weak.
Our God is Lord of the future--
So take courage; though you cannot see
How the life you are living
Can bear a harvest
From what you have been given,
God knows all that will be.
Our God is Lord over all time--
The Beginning and the End is He:
All past guilt He shall banish,
And He guards the future
Until time shall vanish,
Swallowed in eternity.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Look to the Light
My last blog carried a bigger irony than I expected in its mention of "storm water" vs. "living water." Hurricane Ike damaged, among other facilities, the city's water treatment plant; and for a couple of days Samuel Taylor Coleridge's famous lines "Water, water everywhere/Nor any drop to drink" were uncomfortably close to reality for millions of Houstonians.
Water service is, thankfully, restored now; but only about half the city has gotten back that other everyday utility, electricity. Going without electric power means, to me personally: using the laundromat because the washing machine doesn't work; taking cold showers (not to mention putting off washing dishes and other things that need hot water) because the water at my apartment is electrically heated; being able to eat refrigerated foods only in restaurants because ice supplies melt faster than a package can be consumed; and having to go to the public library (which took a while getting its power back) before I can check my e-mail or do anything else online. Which is the main reason this blog went six days without a new entry.
Actually, having no power isn't all bad as long the weather is decent. (Certainly better than the last major hurricane-induced power outage twenty-five years ago, which came a month earlier in the year while the outdoors was consistently sultry.) After all, we get a few extra days off, not to mention some unofficial National Nights Out. But once the night really settles in, being without electricity means one other thing: going to bed and getting up more or less with the sun. Light a candle or switch on a flashlight as you will, no weaker substitute really satisfies once you're used to modern electric light.
Imagine what it must have been like to live a few centuries ago when the only "night lights" were fires from lanterns and torches. There's something inherently frightening about the dark, about not being able to see what might be in your way--or what might be sneaking up on you. Small wonder that the Scriptures associate evil with darkness and God with light. "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5, NIV).
The following poem is the only one I have written that, to date, has been set to music (with slightly different lyrics) and performed for an audience--specifically, for a small group service at Wheaton Graduate School about ten years ago. I regret that I have lost the music and the name of the composer--if anyone reading this remembers either, please let me know!
All Creation had its beginning
From a darkness more black than night;
Our God spoke to create the world we know--
And the first thing He made was light.
Look to the Light
When the world seems lost in darkness;
Look to the Light
When it seems that hope is gone;
Look to the Light
When you feel your faith is failing;
Look to the Light
And find strength to carry on.
When the whole world writhed blind, despairing,
When the fullness of time had come,
There came One Who was called the Light of all;
There came One Who was called God's Son.
Look to the Light
When the world seems lost in darkness;
Look to the Light
When it seems that hope is gone;
Look to the Light
When you feel your faith is failing;
Look to the Light
And find strength to carry on.
When He died on a cross in anguish
It seemed darkness had crushed the Light;
But in three days' time He returned to life:
Now His light shines forever bright.
Look to the Light
When the world seems lost in darkness;
Look to the Light
When it seems that hope is gone;
Look to the Light
When you feel your faith is failing;
Look to the Light
And find strength to carry on.
Look to the Light
When the world seems lost in darkness;
Look to the Light
When it seems that hope is gone;
Look to the Light
When you feel your faith is failing;
Look to the Light
And find strength to carry on.
Water service is, thankfully, restored now; but only about half the city has gotten back that other everyday utility, electricity. Going without electric power means, to me personally: using the laundromat because the washing machine doesn't work; taking cold showers (not to mention putting off washing dishes and other things that need hot water) because the water at my apartment is electrically heated; being able to eat refrigerated foods only in restaurants because ice supplies melt faster than a package can be consumed; and having to go to the public library (which took a while getting its power back) before I can check my e-mail or do anything else online. Which is the main reason this blog went six days without a new entry.
Actually, having no power isn't all bad as long the weather is decent. (Certainly better than the last major hurricane-induced power outage twenty-five years ago, which came a month earlier in the year while the outdoors was consistently sultry.) After all, we get a few extra days off, not to mention some unofficial National Nights Out. But once the night really settles in, being without electricity means one other thing: going to bed and getting up more or less with the sun. Light a candle or switch on a flashlight as you will, no weaker substitute really satisfies once you're used to modern electric light.
Imagine what it must have been like to live a few centuries ago when the only "night lights" were fires from lanterns and torches. There's something inherently frightening about the dark, about not being able to see what might be in your way--or what might be sneaking up on you. Small wonder that the Scriptures associate evil with darkness and God with light. "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5, NIV).
The following poem is the only one I have written that, to date, has been set to music (with slightly different lyrics) and performed for an audience--specifically, for a small group service at Wheaton Graduate School about ten years ago. I regret that I have lost the music and the name of the composer--if anyone reading this remembers either, please let me know!
All Creation had its beginning
From a darkness more black than night;
Our God spoke to create the world we know--
And the first thing He made was light.
Look to the Light
When the world seems lost in darkness;
Look to the Light
When it seems that hope is gone;
Look to the Light
When you feel your faith is failing;
Look to the Light
And find strength to carry on.
When the whole world writhed blind, despairing,
When the fullness of time had come,
There came One Who was called the Light of all;
There came One Who was called God's Son.
Look to the Light
When the world seems lost in darkness;
Look to the Light
When it seems that hope is gone;
Look to the Light
When you feel your faith is failing;
Look to the Light
And find strength to carry on.
When He died on a cross in anguish
It seemed darkness had crushed the Light;
But in three days' time He returned to life:
Now His light shines forever bright.
Look to the Light
When the world seems lost in darkness;
Look to the Light
When it seems that hope is gone;
Look to the Light
When you feel your faith is failing;
Look to the Light
And find strength to carry on.
Look to the Light
When the world seems lost in darkness;
Look to the Light
When it seems that hope is gone;
Look to the Light
When you feel your faith is failing;
Look to the Light
And find strength to carry on.
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