The spirit

After Isaiah 11:1-11 

This root, 

this branch,

bursts into 

the air, long 

promised, mostly 

forgotten, little 

believed. This root, 

this branch, is 

infused with spirit,

the spirit of the Lord,

replete with wisdom,

with understanding,

with counsel and

might, with knowledge

and fear of the Lord.

 

Photograph by Suganth via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Sunday Readings

 

When Little League Games Become Big League Idols – Cody Watson at Sovereignty in Motion.

 

Training Pastos to Care for Souls – Tim Challies.

 

‘In God Is Our Trust’ – poem by Roy Peterson at Society of Classical Poets.

 

Read the Bible Slowly – Murray Campbell at Murray’s Substack.

 

You Are Not Enough (And That is Not Failure) – Hannah Hagarty at Gospel-Centered Discipleship. 

 

Final Words – Melissa Edgington at Your Mom Has a Blog.

This law business

After Matthew 5:27-32 

OK, I get it, I think,

this business about

obedience to the law,

with the law being

both letter and spirit.

But what are you

saying here, what’s

the point? If I hear

you correctly, you’re

telling us that thew law

expresses the lawgiver’s

character, his mind, and

we are so far removed

that we can barely fathom

what’s here, much less 

actually obey and do it.

So, if all of that is true,

are we without hope?

Are we simply to muddle

along, live our lives,

and die? If we can’t do

this for ourselves, can

anyone do it for us?

 

Photograph by Mohamed Nohassi via Unsplash. Used with permission.

It's the spirit

After Matthew 5:27-32 

Sitting on the hillside,

speaking one mind-bending

statement after another,

he comes to the subjects,

bookended, as it were, 

of universal interest:

adultery, marriage, lust,

divorce, and then

adultery (again). He’s

punching home his

argument about the law:

it’s not only the letter

of the law that’s the issue;

it’s also the spirit of the law.

It’s not sufficient to avoid

adultery and give yourself

a well-earned pat on the back;

it’s also the idea , the action,

of even looking with wrong

motives. It’s as if you want

to be congratulated for not

beating your wife. And

ditto for divorce.

 

Photograph by Josh Marshall via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Whose spirit?

After Romans 8:1-11

Whose spirit?

The spirit of the law?

Your spirit? Mine?

Someone else’s?

The answer matters;

it’s not rhetorical.

It’s not hypothetical.

It’s a matter

of life and death.

It’s a matter

of your life and 

death. To answer it,

you need help.

So, ask.

Photograph by Nathan McBride via Unsplash. Used with permission.

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.

Spirit, water, blood

After I John 5:6-21

The text says he came

by water and blood,

and that they testify

with the Spirit, providing

unassailable evidence.

Spirit, water, blood –

these are beyond

the testimony of the court,

beyond the oath we take:

the blood giving life

the water sustaining life

the Spirit infusing life

Photograph by Seth Macey via Unsplash. Used with permission.

The dove flies

After Ephesians 1:15-23

The dove flies,

a flash of startled gray

or white, splashing

into the air, a color

aimed at cleared air,

a spirit of wisdom,

a spirit of revelation,

that gray crowding out

black and white.

It’s a gift,

a gift of knowledge

handed out with purpose,

the splash of gray

to quench the thirst

of hearts. The hope

is in the dove’s calling.

Photograph by Daniel Ruyter via Unsplash. Used with permission.