November 21, 2015
1 Corinthians 14:1
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.
The Sixth Day Exercise
Today I want to share with you a free verse poem I wrote as I reflected about the gift of prophecy. Part of eagerly desiring the gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy means pondering the nature of the gifts. I encourage you to slow down to a meditative pace on this one. The poem is entitled:
WHAT IS THE GIFT OF PROPHECY?
Prophecy
like a womb that
hovers over every spoken person
pregnant with words
waiting
not to be spoken into existence
but revealed
released
spoken from the Future
unleashed into Arabic or English
catalyzing the instant
where uranium goes nuclear
the cloud and fiery pillar of presence
longing for some person to hear
the silent language of “in heaven,”
searching for one who would declare “on earth”
the shape of its wilderness path.
one who can feel the texture of mystery
but wants to trust a human
whom shall I send– who will go for me
not received like a transistor radio with antannae
can’t be delivered via 62” flat panel Samsung
no phone smart enough to catch it
with one non-negotiable requirement
love
particular love
not a feeling
but love with legs that run, arms that reach
unrelenting pursuers
who for the joy set before them
yield only to
nails, wells, and tombs.
DO THE SIXTH DAY EXERCISE HERE.
In case you are new to the Sixth Day Exercise. In case you are just joining us, each week we share in an exercise called “The Sixth Day Exercise.” As Genesis 1 has it, God created human beings in his own image on the sixth day. Genesis 3 shows us the desecration of the image of God in our race which has only compounded itself across the centuries. It’s why the Image Bearer himself, Jesus Christ, came. His life, death, resurrection and ascension reversed the curse of sin and death and created a pathway whereby our broken race could be made gloriously whole again; restored to the Creator’s intent. Paul put it this way:
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22.
Given we were made on the Sixth Day, it makes sense that we might stop and assess how it’s going on the long journey of being “remade” on each successive sixth day.
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J.D. Walt serves as Seedbed’s Sower in Chief. jd.walt@seedbed.com.