A hint of promise over a Florida pasture

Nice sky, amber light effects on trees and grass, highlighting the ruddy cows... greys and blues and misty whites hanging tapestry in the sky, centering colors of the covenant promise. Enjoy!

A theology of rainbows

Thoughts on the future

God will always let us see His gracious and triumphant bow when life goes hard. Have we ever noticed how a rainbow arises? The sun suddenly breaks through the clouds with magical brilliance even though the elements are still raging and their wildness has not been allayed. And now notice a strange feature, namely, that light never celebrates such a riot of color as when it breaks up into its spectrum. And this festival of light takes place at the very moment when the rays of the sun, of the sun of divine grace, clash with the raging elements of our earth.

We understand what is implied in the image. It is precisely in grief and pain, in the depths and under the storms, that God will show himself and display before us the fullness of His grace. Do you understand this? Do you understand it precisely when you consider your own life? Like myself, you can probably attest it with thanksgiving only when it has all proved true, and will again prove true, in your own life. Have you ever detected His consoling presence so clearly as when you were delivered up to the most terrible distress where no shelter could save you from the attack, no doctor help you and no human speak to you a word of real comfort?

The bow always shines with greatest comfort in times of darkness, and it is in the depths that God’s hand is stretched out with greatest love. If only we see this we will believe God’s promise. Thus the bow of mercy overarches the coming year too. It will not be only a year of terror. It will be also a year of indescribable consolations because it will be a year of the Lord, who awaits us with His miracles. At exactly the right moment a helping word will come as His messenger. His love will encounter us… and we will find that He takes from us our cares like a father. Since we have a Father, we are not adventurers. We are those who live by the surprises and miracles of their God.

Thus we stand on this threshold of the year consoled and thankful and full of cheerful hope. God gives us a further span of time, and again all things may become new... The night of the past year with its guilt may really be past in the name of God; the rainbow shines and will give a new day. The morning will break, and His mercy has no end but is new every morning and His faithfulness is great.

Alleluia!

Selah.

Helmut Theilicke, The Silence of God, "Thoughts on the Future."

A rainbow of fire and promise

After an early evening thunderstorm, a beautiful covered the lake. Here is just a fraction of the beautiful show, nature's best reflection of divine glory. :-)

In taking the photo and worshiping under the grand, vaulted canopy, storm in distance and sun in the West... clouds and rainbow fire over the lake... I was reminded of these words of God from Genesis chapter nine:

And God said,

"This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

So God said... "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

The time of destructive flood is past. Life will begin again. See the sign, and live, Live, my friend! Even now the waters recede, and you are called to your true part... sing, dance, trust!

Alleluia.

Selah.

My steadfast love shall not depart

Isaiah 54:9-10

This is like the days of Noah to me:
Just as I swore that the waters of Noah
would never again go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
and will not rebuke you.
For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Selah.

Autumn rainbow painting

I just love the interplay of light in this pic, almost watercolor hues and contrasts: lit foreground, muted blue hills and pastel sky! Look closely and you can barely see a pink strand on the very bottom of the forming rainbow. And in the center of the rainbow, the light breaking through the clouds, right still in gentle rain. [Click 2x to enlarge]