Jesus is called Emmanuel, which means God of accompaniment. But a missionary, Donald Dorr — who worked in Ireland, Africa and Latin America — discovered to his disappointment that though his people were helped by Emmanuel, they no longer expected him to share their journey, since they thought he spent his time mainly in a large house with stained glass windows. They were so deafened by their hopes and fears that they no longer heard his voice.
To overcome this loss of a sense of God — who accompanied them on the journey of their lives — he helped them rediscover Emmanuel by sharing with each other from the river of their lives. Dorr led his people on a pilgrimage to the ruins that survived from their glorious past, and the voice of Emmanuel was heard more strongly, opening to them a history and a tradition they had almost lost.
In a quiet glade, they heard his whisper in the trees. During their days together, they often heard the voice of pain. And they began to listen to that pain as they stood at the foot of each other’s crosses. For them, Emmanuel’s voice was heard most clearly not in the waters or the broken bread, not even in the broken stone that was an ancient sacred spot, but in the brokenness of each other’s hearts.
We have to make that final journey alone. Job said in the Bible, “I know that the one who will vindicate me is alive. These eyes of mine will look on God, a God who no longer leaves me to stand alone.” Then we will not be tempted to take short cuts to the other side of the Cross, which is the resurrection.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: Economic Times, Speaking Tree, 22nd May, 2019
Jesus is called Emmanuel, which means God of accompaniment. But a missionary, Donald Dorr — who worked in Ireland, Africa and Latin America — discovered to his disappointment that though his people were helped by Emmanuel, they no longer expected him to share their journey, since they thought he spent his time mainly in a large house with stained glass windows. They were so deafened by their hopes and fears that they no longer heard his voice.
To overcome this loss of a sense of God — who accompanied them on the journey of their lives — he helped them rediscover Emmanuel by sharing with each other from the river of their lives. Dorr led his people on a pilgrimage to the ruins that survived from their glorious past, and the voice of Emmanuel was heard more strongly, opening to them a history and a tradition they had almost lost.
In a quiet glade, they heard his whisper in the trees. During their days together, they often heard the voice of pain. And they began to listen to that pain as they stood at the foot of each other’s crosses. For them, Emmanuel’s voice was heard most clearly not in the waters or the broken bread, not even in the broken stone that was an ancient sacred spot, but in the brokenness of each other’s hearts.
We have to make that final journey alone. Job said in the Bible, “I know that the one who will vindicate me is alive. These eyes of mine will look on God, a God who no longer leaves me to stand alone.” Then we will not be tempted to take short cuts to the other side of the Cross, which is the resurrection.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: Economic Times, Speaking Tree, 22nd May, 2019