The image holds

After Colossians 1:15-20 

He is the image,

invisible, image

of the invisible,

firstborn, creator,

creator of all things,

not only the physical

but also the invisible

yet real – thrones,

dominions, rulers,

authority, government,

all of it. He came first,

and all of it holds 

together because 

of him. In him

the fullness dwells.

Through him, all

things are reconciled.

Even death could

not hold him,

cannot hold him.

 

Photograph by Ken Cheung via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Sunday Readings

 

As the High One, Yah, in the Gentle Winds of Eden – poem by Graham Perdun at Sabbath Empire.

 

2023 Natural Landscape Photography Awards.

 

Taking It Slow – Glenn McCarty at Story Warren on writing.

 

Order and Beauty: A Little Theology of Christian Writing – Greg Morse at Desiring God.

Image of the invisible

After Colossians 1:15-20

What does this look like,

this image of the invisible,

how can this be,

this contradiction of terms?

How does the invisible even 

cast a shadow, or possess

a shape, a presence? Yet

the invisible implies

existence, implies

a presence not seen

or touched. Our fingers

trace the contours 

of the invisible’s face,

our hands touch

the invisible’s skin, 

our senses taste, smell,

hear the invisible. And

we know it’s there,

always there.

Photograph by Ruben Marques via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Choosing a rock

After Colossians 1:15-20

An island, a rock:

water lapping against it

threatens like a storm

cloud in the distance.

We argue the question:

do we embrace the waves,

or do we climb and cling

to the rock. Is this island,

this rock, strong enough

to bear our weight and

resist the storm, or do we

cast off and float among

the growing waves and 

swells. We choose

the rock, holding

all things together.

Photograph by Ashim D’Silva via Unsplash. Used with permission.