Covered With Glory

 

May 10th, 2024 at 11:00 PM I opened my front door and peeked at the sky expecting to be disappointed, again. How many times had I dragged my family outside in the cold darkness to see something spectacular only to be disappointed? 

(earlier that evening)

 Luke humored me and we sat outside for about an hour, our lawn chairs facing the northern horizon, not sure what we were even looking for. Grandpa kept turning the porch light on for us so we could "see better". Maybe we saw a faint purple, or green between the trees, but probably it was just our imagination. No use calling anyone else to join us. It was just like the other times, only this time it wasn't as cold. And somehow it didn't seem quite so dark, even though the moon was New. 

We went inside and Luke went to bed, exhausted from a long week of work. I smiled, happy to have spent some quiet moments outside with my soulmate, thankful for the slower pace of Sabbath. It had been an unseasonably warm day. I couldn't decide whether to open the door and let in the cooler night air, or shut the door and keep the dark, and what roams in the dark out! 

Finally, the busyness of the day caught up with me and I decided to go to bed. "We don't get northern lights here." I thought, "and if, by some odd chance they might be seen at this latitude, we wouldn't be able to see them from our woods. -not where we live."

I decided to open our front door one more time. 

The door that faces south.

What I saw was nothing like the pictures. In fact, if I hadn't heard there was a possibility of seeing them, I wouldn't have given, what I was seeing, a second thought. I looked UP! Not just out into the night, but up into the patch of sky above my porch. Beams, pillars of light spread out across the sky! 

"It's here!" I shouted "Luke! Are you still awake? If you aren't, wake up!" he came out and we stared at the sky. 

It was so bright outside, yet I couldn't locate the source of the light. Faint wisps that looked very much like light pollution, or thin clouds, appeared in the sky.

I got comfortable and stared into the darkness. The more I looked, the more I saw!

 My first thought was how easy this would be to miss- to not see. I wondered how many times these lights had been dancing above my head and I didn't even realize they were there! Faint whispers. A breeze. A gentle glow. Sights very easy to brush off as something ORDINARY and INSIGNIFICANT! 

My second thought was: If THIS is how amazing the glory of the sun is... that created fireball in the sky... how awesome the Glory of God must be!

Then, my daughter came out with her phone. We had heard there was more to see than what our eyes could capture. What our eyes saw as a faint whisper of pink above the trees was a fuchsia blanket that covered the whole sky! What we saw as a thin, wispy cloud was a vibrant-colored angel defending our earth from solar wind particles.

Now that I knew what I was seeing, my eyes could see it a bit too. Look! Those "clouds" were moving and dancing. The color WAS all over the sky! I could see it now. Faintly, but the more I sat still and watched the more I saw.

I am not good at handling unusual situations. 

I didn't think this was important enough to wake up more people. :(

I still thought this was more common than I realized, or that tomorrow's show would be better, or that others wouldn't be impressed.

So, I sat still and watched.

 Half imagining, half seeing... the train of His robe filling the temple as the cloudy curtain grew to cover a huge portion of the sky. ...a round ball of light with another circle inside of it...

The Glory of God COVERING the whole earth! As the camera screen lit up with colors more vibrant than exist in nature.

WHAT IS REAL?

Could it be that my fleshly eyes cannot see what is really there, right in front of me? I can catch glimpses and hints, but not really SEE!

"Glory, glory. The whole earth is filled with His Glory." I whispered, because it seemed wrong to shout. I wanted to sing, but that didn't seem quite right either, for it seemed that this music was enjoyed with the eyes instead the ears.

I didn't know what to do with this experience. Part of me wanted to say it was imagined and I was overreacting. But the pictures the next morning proved that the opposite was true. 

I had no idea how awesome, or rare, what I was viewing was. 

I left before it was over, thinking I could watch it again tomorrow, or the next day. Not knowing this may have been my only chance to experience this.

Of course there is a spiritual lesson in this. Many lessons. New and peculiar lessons! Lessons that I am sure you became aware of too, if you happened to be up in the middle of the night and lived in an area where you could see the show.

The spiritual realm is a great mystery. 

Unseen angels are protecting us from invisible dangers.

 It sounds made up. It's just cotton candy clouds, or my eyes imagining a hint of color. There is no such thing as Aurora. But it is more real that the things we can see in the bright light of the day.

Why did the night seem so bright when the moon had already set, and the colors of Aurora Borealis were so faint to the naked eye? Is that a taste of the brightness of God's Glory? The glory that will light that Holy City! The Glory that is covering the earth, that will cover the whole earth.

That Sabbath I read Revelation 4 and Ezekiel 1, wondering if what Ezekiel and John saw was similar to the pictures shown on my daughter's phone. 

But the picture that impressed me most was the picture on my little android phone taken at the same time and place as the picture above:

I admit it. I don't know how to take pictures. :D

I WAS using the "night" setting! 

But somehow, instead of enhancing the beauty, my camera showed even LESS of what my eyes could see!

Why do I still have this black picture on my camera? Why didn't I delete it immediately? I wasn't sure until I read this verse: Job 3:20 "Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul?"  Maybe I should name my camera "Job"! lol  

At this horrific time of tragedy in Job's life, he WANTED it to be DARK! He didn't want LIFE. He didn't want SUNSHINE. He wanted to sit in his misery, bitterness and pain. But near the end of the Book of Job he is enlightened. God shows him His Power and a taste of His Glory! So, in the last chapter Job admits: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now my EYE seeth!" He had an iphone now! HAHA! He could see the glory surrounding him and defending him from things he didn't even know existed! Things too wonderful for his human brain to comprehend!

Suddenly it was okay that he didn't understand. 

And I like to think the light didn't hurt his eyes as much.

Seeing the natural laws working as they were created to, helped me trust that God is working in the spiritual realm as well. 

Maybe our circumstances in life affect how we see the world around us. Maybe it is hard to see the glory that shines so brightly in other people's worldview. Maybe we shut our eyes to the beauty, explain it away, or ignore it. Or, maybe, the lens that we are looking through is not capturing anything at all. All we see is the darkness. Something to shut out and run from.

Next time your world view looks like my second picture, stop for a minute. Find a comfy spot on the grass and look UP! 

You just might notice that the night is a lot brighter than it seems. And that there is beauty even on the darkest night of the month!

And back in the physical realm, if we get another chance to see the Aurora Borealis in our area, I'm not going to be embarrassed to swing my door open and wake up the whole family. Now that I think of it, I would rather them be disappointed that nothing happened, than to be disappointed that they missed it! 

Come to think of it, maybe THAT paragraph isn't only talking about the physical realm either! ;) 

Bezaleel's Calling

 

The books of Moses contain some of the most exciting stories in the Bible, but they also contain some of the dullest chapters. 

I believe every word in the Bible is there for a reason and is holy. But some chapters are a bit tedious to read through. Exodus 21-31 are like that for me. -laws and building instructions for the tabernacle

This time as I read the instructions, I tried to picture what it might have been like. As you know, I enjoy foraging for wild edibles. I like to imagine that I could survive in the wilderness, but I highly doubt my survival skills would sustain me for long. I doubt I could keep myself alive for forty years, let alone a million people! And build a beautiful tabernacle as well?! I could maybe make a shelter of some kind, but nothing as elaborate as the tabernacle!

God gave Moses detailed instructions on how to build the tabernacle. As I read through the instructions for the umpteenth time in my life I still didn't understand. I could read those instructions a million times and still have no clue how to even begin this building project. But there was a man who received the instructions and nodded his head and then went to work and actually BUILT IT! 

He was in the middle of the wilderness! All he had was scraps of fabric and jewelry donations. Bezaleel and his friend, Aholiab, were brilliant! God told Moses they were filled with the Spirit! 

When I started reading Exodus chapter 31 this time, I had forgotten who this guy was. I had been reading about God talking with Moses. Chapter after chapter of these lists of things. As you know, I like stories, so when I read God told Moses that there is a man named, Bezaleel who is filled with the Spirit of God, that caught my attention. I was reading slowly that night and picturing this amazing person who God chose to help Moses. Verse 3 said this man had wisdom, understanding and knowledge as well as being filled with the spirit of God! My mind wandered to the many people mentioned in Genesis and Exodus who could also be described this way. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses... I wondered what great leadership role this Bezaleel would fulfill and why his name wasn't as familiar to me. Then I read verses 4 and 5. He was brilliant! This man could do it all! -stonework -woodcarving -metal work -building furniture -making dishes...

Somehow when I first saw he was filled with the spirit of God I presumed there would be a sermon from him, or something, but I don't really see him saying anything! I don't even know if he could read and write, but he could build! He could take those mysterious instructions that God had given Moses on the mountain, look at the supplies they had on hand and actually BUILD IT! I don't know if he said a single word the whole time! 

I stopped for a minute and imagined Bezaleel, Aholiab and the others referenced in verse 6 and I was super impressed. Then, of course, I had an epiphany. (Probably the same one everyone who has ever read these few verses has realized, but still...) 

Evidently God can use all kinds of people, not just the ones who are good at public speaking! 

He needs people who are good at building, who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, or don't mind hours of quiet solitude. He intentionally created people with a variety of personalities, gifts and talents in each generation! 

My mind went to the writings of Paul in the New Testament. Remember when he listed a few different gifts followers of Jesus might have? And remember that other list with those other things too?  -those lists that I just read over quickly because it wasn't an interesting story. Well, you and I were in one of those lists! Maybe we aren't a pastor, or missionary. Maybe it seems like we aren't doing much to build the kingdom of God. But if you and I can say, "Yes!" to the job God has given us to do, He can use us to do amazing things too! Things that others might look at and not even know where to start! (like my messy kitchen)

Maybe your job seems menial to you, but without you doing what you do best, the body of Christ would not function right. So, take on the task God has given you today! We need you! He needs you!

May God fill us with His Holy Spirit, wisdom, understanding and knowledge to do what He has given us to do today. May we take on these tasks with confidence knowing that we were born at this time, for this purpose! 

The Preacher

 

The Preacher Lives Life to the Fullest

“Why are we here?” the young man wondered.

“What is the point of all of this?” And by “this” he meant life.

He was blessed that he could observe, experiment and explore to his heart’s content. Unrestrained by time or resources.

If all of life is a cycle: the water, weather, generations, then what is the meaning of his one insignificant life? It is doubtful that future generations will even know he existed. (Ecclesiastes 1:1-12)

He decided to study and learn everything he could about everything! He read ALL the books and listened to wise people’s theories. But the more he learned the heavier his burden became. The thoughts in his mind made him feel like he was losing it and he kind of wished he had never started this journey. (Ecclesiastes 1:13- 18)

Maybe he was trying too hard! He put away his books and decided to LIVE LIFE! And live he did! He built beautiful houses and gardens. He threw lavish parties. He consumed good food and drink. He hired musicians and servants. He accumulated more gold and silver than anyone before him. He bought many kinds of animals. He said yes to everything that suggested happiness! He was surrounded with beauty and joy! It was fun to build all of this.

But, one day he looked over everything. It seemed like the more work he did, the more he acquired, the more work there was to do. 

Again, what was the point?

 WHY was he doing all this? Was it to be happy? -to please himself? That’s a foolish reason. What was he anyway? -just one human being. What if he accumulated all of this and the people after him destroyed it? All his getting was no better than a greedy, hoarder who only thinks of himself. It didn’t matter if he was rich or poor, life was pointless- or was it? 

Maybe the music and beauty of life IS the point. Maybe it is enjoying the little things. Appreciating the world around us. Thanking God for all His many blessings. Maybe it’s okay to enjoy all of this! In fact, maybe that is the answer, or at least part of it: Enjoy the blessings of today.

Some people are never happy, whether they have little or much. Joy comes in acknowledging that all good things come from God. (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26)

The Preacher Realizes the Emptiness of his Life

One would presume that being a good person would naturally cause one’s life to be happy and satisfying. However, as the now middle-aged man began observing and learning about the lives of other people his observations confused him. It seems that “time and chance” happened to everyone, regardless of whether they made good life choices, or not. He also noticed that corruption was literally everywhere! No matter how prestigious the establishment, upon closer inspection, it was evident that it was run by fallible humans. What a let-down! Who could he trust? Of course, God is the One who could be trusted! How reassuring that the all-wise judge will sort everything out. 

I imagine Solomon watching his animals, at the end of chapter 3, noticing how similar they were to humans. But in one way, the animals were different. They never seemed to question their short existence. There was wisdom to be found here. 

As the man matured, he learned the lesson of humility. He had spent many years searching for the meaning of his life, only now to realize life was meant to be shared. The hard times are easier to bear with someone else. The good times are meant to be enjoyed with others. “Better is a poor, wise child, than an old, foolish king…” (Ecclesiastes 4:13) he said, and I smile as I picture an old king on a beautiful throne realizing he wasn’t getting wiser with age, only more aware of how human he was. The more he looked around, the more he noticed the hard lives of so many. Was he guilty of causing the oppression he referred to?

Another place he learned humility was in the sanctuary. How many times had he been quick to speak and slow to listen? Wisdom is acquired and exhibited in listening, not speaking.

Here he was with great riches and all the comforts of life, but he couldn’t sleep. One day of honest, hard work and he slept like he was a boy again. Perhaps, joy isn’t in attaining the treasure, but in working towards a goal. The cycles of life he found so meaningless as a boy gave him something to wake up for. It wasn’t bondage- this constant toil. It was a gift from God, to be enjoyed (Ecclesiastes 5:18- 20).

The older he got, the more he learned about life, love, himself, other humans and especially, God. And then, suddenly, he was old and wise. Was it too late to live life the way he should have all along? If it was, maybe that is why he wrote it all out for us in the book we now call Ecclesiastes.

A book, no doubt read by a future son of David: Jesus. He summed it all up in one verse. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)”