(Pondering, after seeing Marc Chagall’s chapel in Nice, France. What a nice closing prayer to his life–especially the piano, with ascending prophets seen, only as you open it, and it is played–their words came alive as the vibration of the chords were struck! Felt true).

When I see pieces like these, i think ok, there, is an imagination in dialogue. That artist started to enter the “thou” , or soul or being of that subject, and had his or her own language developed enough to enter a saturated conversation.

I like overhearing or overseeing such instances. And when we do, something in us gets awakened to the potential contours of a single dialogue or conversation. There are so many levels to each instant-as the post-impressionist taught us. One sunset is worth a thousand meditations-and uniquely nuanced pondering of the same passing instant.

But then, when an artist turns to the universal and transcendent stories of scripture, and is able to move from the distance of illustration into a direct conversation with the spirit of the thing, you just sense it and know it, and are overwhelmed, by the depth of encounter. The artist pondering the word, symbolizes the human pondering God. And that is a majestically simple but profound sign of who we are as humans.

What is interesting is that you barely notice the technique at that point. The mature artist’s technical skills become concealed or in service to the dialogue with his or her subject. That is not to say technique or medium doesn’t matter, it is as if it is, in the matured artist, hidden from sight, and in service to the higher conversation between the artist and subject. It becomes an act of sheer beholding.

That type of art, signals and even compels one to enter the exchange. This is not just self expression, but self to self interchange; wherein, the I-Thou encounter starts to form a mid-air and mid-medium dance of being. Some portraits are like this, where the true identity of the subject is so honorably beheld, and so tenderly deep, that you feel as if you have met that person, or subject on some level. I have been there, i have seen that field, i have smelled those autumn fields. I have looked into those eyes.

With others you feel the violation or projective seeing. Then you are primarily looking at the artist’s wounds, and how it sees Reality. That is more like reading an autobiography, I think. But, I am most interested in pieces where this level of communion between seer and seen occurs.

Identity beholding identity is the stuff of true communion.

There is a teaching of perceiving itself in great art. How to see unseen layers of meaning in the subject. To see that there is more to even each instant than we imagined; that a simple evening cafe scene can become a universal metaphor of humanity trying to find evening’s sabbath, is one of the gifts of the artist. There is more than immediately meets the eye. Reality is complex and nuanced. And great art makes a portion of that complexity visible to the naked eye.

Even our own act at looking at art, is about us watching perception itself trying to say, this is what I saw. Not all of what I saw, but the part I could translate. That’s art.

I like beholding people on this level of being; other artist, like landscapes, or animals, color itself, texture, patterns. Regardless of what is beheld, it is the act of beholding-and its depth-that we are looking at when we view art.

What of the artist’s being was risked in the gaze? To the degree that it cost the gazer in them, the art is profound. To the degree that we perceive, we engage in the mysticism of seeing. Perhaps, we can only see to the degree that we are seen. Or perhaps, we are trying to see in order to be seen, as in the case of some artist. Either way, the radiance of resonance in a piece of art, has to do with the depth of sight and exchange between who is seeing and what is seen. That is the I-Thou opportunity in art making.

The power of true perception is underrated in terms of the healing of our own eyes or our deeper “I” through which we interpret even ourselves. In this sense, looking at art is truly healing. It is a particular brand of healing, but there is this cleansing of perception which osmotically occurs in beholding great art. This is not a cultural thing. It is a human need. For when we see someone seeing truly, we ourselves are somehow healed.

The plank teaching…

God gave me this week, from Jesus teaching about removing the plank in our own eye (way of seeing or perceiving), before removing the speck in our brother or sister’s eye. We are allowed to remove the plank in our own eye–we are allowed to judge ourselves at a “plank” level–deep insights into our own sin and blocks, and false vision–even areas where we see falsely because we could not see ourselves; and YET, even when it is removed, we are only allowed to remove specks in other’s eyes.

There is a word here about judgement and its laws or how it works. Jesus said, first remove this plank in your own eye, which He will give you insight to do; then you will be able to remove specks in other’s eyes. Judgment begins with ourselves, and His Pleasure is to remove entire planks in our sight and eyes. And then to allow us to help others remove specks in theirs.

Often we reverse this, and try to remove planks in others eyes and specks in our own. But His Way is to allow us to remove huge blocks in our own lives, and then maybe to remove some small blocks in other’s lives. It is God’s way to begin in us, whatever we minister outwards to others. We can only help others to the degree we have allowed Him to form this area of Himself  in us. Our first job is always to judge our own house, and to allow Him to give us self discernment; then if He desires, He may allow us to minister this outwards to others.

This “plank” level means we are given Grace to remove huge sins and blocks in our own lives, and then if He wishes, to help others remove specks in theirs. It’s not that we can’t help others move large stones in their lives, but we start with allowing Him to roll away our own stones, and then if He allows us to help other’s with theirs, fantastic!

But judge ourselves first. Come humbly and correct ourselves, so that He will not have to remove that plank as He did with Paul. It is painful to go entirely blind. He would desire that we remove our own planks in His Power-rather than Him having to yank them out. And then, as He is formed in that area, to be helpful in ministering that part of Him to others!

Another hope point in this, is that Paul continues to remove quite a few specks in the church’s lens throughout her history! So once, that plank was removed, there was a humility and grace to truly serve the whole, and the church got a ravishing and accurate vision of her future!

“THE EYES OF THE LORD ROVE THE EARTH LOOKING FOR THE RIGHTEOUS.” He is looking to discern His Own reflection. something “like” what He created or intended the creation to be. He searches, almost hunts for the “turned souls” etc–throughout history He roves, hovering over, considering, where to gaze into and who to gaze through!  He wants to find things that make Him remember it was a good idea.

He considers the layers of meaning of each event–even in history, like the titanic. To fathom all the layers of what occurred and what that meant; many of the layers only God could know, as His Spirit searched the waters or heard last prayers…

WHEN HIS EYES LAND ON the righteous, HE CAN THEN LOOK THROUGH THEM. This is an image i am seeing, be patient with me. I see the Lord looking over the earth (esp the oceans), and when He comes on a righteous soul or gate of light, He is able to ponder there; then you bring in Jesus who basically allows Him to ponder over the whole earth. Righteous people are like God”s portals through which His Spirit can see- spirit to Spirit; deep calls to deep; His gaze penetrates the oceans in search of the righteous souls who shined and shine forth still.

THE RIGHTEOUS ARE MY EYES ON EARTH, THROUGH WHICH MY PERCEPTION POURS FORTH ONTO THE EARTH. GOD PARTNERS WITH HUMANITY IN SEEING WELL. IN PERCEIVING ACCURATELY–AS HE SEES. GOD’S EYES. They rove, then we, as watchers, rove with them. Perceiving is itself a great ministry on the earth. To see with His Eyes, as situation changes everything.  And God perceives through us! through HIs People. He enjoys looking out through us!!! WE are like His lens through which He peers out over all His Creation.

The being of Christ requires all of Reality to constantly encounter Him. For, there is no metaphysical space where He is not. That is what the mystics sang. 

And i would add that true identity is where He is. Whatever is not in Him is not true, real viable, whole. Whatever is in Him is real. Our true image is the part of us that is in Him. 

When we come to the question of who we are, we are asking the implied question of where He is. And He is where we have truly entered into Reality. Even rebellious creatures exist in relation to God–in their case, in reaction against. But that they are reacting proves Him to be the ground of all being. If we exist at all, God does. David’s Psalm 139 is about this metaphysical truth. That God knows and is Lord over all of Reality. He can also be met in an realm region or dimension of what is.

In order to be, or exist, there must be a container for us. For us to be born, there must be a womb. To find our own contours is to push on the walls or edges of this spiritual womb. God is there, so we have edges, contours, ends and beginnings, we have identity.

Christ came that we might have real life. Our true life. And as He incarnates, this true life starts to take shape within us, as if He were birthing Himself into our unique contours. He is offering us through His Own Being, our own being. My old self dies into and with Christ, to find my true self. This is the re-birthing of a spiritual landscape within us. This is the conversion process. We are being converted into His Life, and thereby into more of our own true life.

 We are born again. A new map enters. He is able to shape Himself in us, as if we were both trying on one another as costumes or fashion. We wear Him, and He wears us–our real us. Our eternal us. The us, that is written on white stones in heaven. The us whose name we have heard whispered in dreams. The us that we wish and somehow know we are. The true eternal you, you were meant and born to be. 

To become this eternal you, requires an exchange of clothes metaphysically. The more of Him I wear, the more of me is made visible. So we say, not I but Christ, who is wearing me. But we also mean, when it is not i, it is even more true “I”. That is the mystery of conversion in terms of identity. That is regeneration, spiritual rebirth. That is also what it means to be a Christian i think. For the concept of dying to the old self and being reborn, infers that we are born to a new self, our true self.

It is not to be possessed by God, but to have God incarnate in us, and make us more ourselves. Our forever selves are the ones hidden and shadowed in His Being. So we surrender, and He gives us back the real version of ourselves. It is a one of a kind exchange. I die to live. I give everything, and He gives it back, in its true version. As if, we give him the black and white version of ourselves, and He gives us the full length color version of the same film. 

If we think of ourselves as having a physical body, a soul life, and a spirit; then this conversion looks something like this. His Spirit enters our life and regenerates our spirit; this in turn leads the soul into a new life,  as it expresses and is led by the spirit; and, then, even the physical body, which houses all this activity, follows in this transformation process. So we are promised that even this body will rise anew, completely transformed much as Jesus body was after He resurrected. He could cook, and eat and still had some marks visible from His previous body. My point, here is that the whole being is progressively transformed into the new and true version of who you are. 

People want to know who they really are. They want to be seen, beheld as a whole creatures. I think this is a basic human need. You can see it clearly in early childhood development. There is this need to be seen, to say me, to prove that one exist. What happens with God is that He fully sees you. He searches and knows you, beholds every contour and fold of your being, for He created it, and can know His Own creation. As we come into conversion, what changes, is not God, but us; we enter the dialogue of beholding! Our true “I” is formed as we gaze at God’s Thouness (as the Jewish thinker Martin Buber would put it). That is the eye of our heart is opened to see Him and therefore ourselves. We can now behold back some. We can start to see more face to face. As I behold God, I am gradually transformed, because I am seeing the One who fully sees me. It is like looking in the true mirror, where my true reflection is refracted perfectly off the glass. That is the miracle of the progressive sanctification of the identity. 

In my  study of the book of Daniel, I’m looking at his own identity as a clue to understand the nature of the symbols God spoke to Him through. To understand the nature of the personal and collective symbolic. And ultimately to look at God’s dream life, or symbolic nature. Reading the book as a study of who God is. 

Learning to read predictive prophecy as God’s dream, about Himself. Or, put another way, learning to read the symbolic life of God.  The principles of interpretation are based in God’s symbolic Nature. See how He symbolizes, and go from there. Then we look at the particular symbolic life of each prophet, to see how God communicated to each of them. At times, God uses His Own symbols, and at times, those of the personal life of the prophet–just as in dream. The prophet is one, whose personal imagination has been sanctified for the purpose of communication with God. Although, no prophet was perfect, there is a higher baptism of the imagination in them which allows God’s symbols to broadcast through them. That is the basic spirituality of the prophet–to meet God in his or her imagination. 

 The deeper goal of prophecy is to reveal God’s Nature to humanity. Prophecy is a way to reveal who God is, and what He is like–that is another guiding principle in studying prophecy. We want to come to see His ways through examining prophecy. 

The new covenant had to do with a deeper INCARNATION of God into people. Hebrews (8,9) is describing the nature of the new covenant in terms of greater (ever increasing!) incarnation. For, unlike the old covenant, in this new one, God directly puts His Law (Mind) inside people, and writes it upon their hearts, and God is, eventually, known directly in our midst. It is as if Jesus initiated an infusion of God into His Creation! He paid the price to open the Gate (which He is and was!) for the world of The Father to enter ALL of His Creation! The new covenant is then about a much deeper communion God desires with His creation. And it is also the Way into this deeper knowing.

Paul places this in the context of a fading of the old covenant and the coming of the new covenant; this is the covenant which Jesus said He was or came to inact at the last supper in His Toast, where He quoted Jeremiah. Jesus is saying that, I am the new covenant, and it has begun-participate in this deeper communion through Me, for God has begun a work where He will know and be known fully by His Creation. My blood has sealed and started this work! Start to participate in it!

You have BECOME the temple space (as Paul put it in I Cor 3:16). The bread in the sanctuary becomes the bread of Life; all the central metaphors become more incarnate in the NT—from physical/ literal—to—metaphysical/spiritual reality. Literal bread or manna, to “I am the bread of Life.” In the new covenant metaphor, you are seeing God’s pattern of shifting things towards greater and greater incarnation! The new covenant is no longer God WITH us-nearby, up the mountain etc; law “over there”, on tablets etc; but GOD IN US—the law written in us; “My words have I placed in your hearts that you might not sin” etc; Here, is God living IN, and through us; through the life of Jesus He lives out His Life! God communing in us through His Son—that is the the nature of the new covenant.

 Jesus named this at the last supper. Quoting Jeremiah, He said that this is the new covenant sealed by My Blood! This type of communion was new and was about Him dwelling in us through His Spirit and communing directly in us-it was the beginning of a new type pf covenant God was/is making with humanity!.

The idea here is: God decides to come into His Creation through the perfect life of His Son, so that He can have uninterrupted communion with His Creation. This is the process Jesus began and will continue to, until all is consumed, and consecrated into His Life, and, then, given back fully, as a gift, to the Father.

For this reason, Paul says, we have become living temples. And he draws out the comparisons with the older one. There is a continuum of implications or meanings. But this is the temple not built with Hands, but built of Christ. He is the stuffness of the new temple. And it is occurring in us. More to come!

• Midrashing on the life and way of Jeremiah, the prophet . (Remember the essence of midrash is the feeling of an ee cumming poem; run on’s baby!)
•  This passage where Jeremiah buried his underwear–Perath-a reference to the Euphrates where the Jews would soon be taken–ie babylon. Whether Jeremiah literally went 300 miles to the Euphrates or whether God used the closer river with a name which the Jews would have understood to reference the Euphrates isn’t clear. But in this “acted oracle” or symbolic action, each detail mattered.
• the jews liked riddles, then. and often jeremiah, the prophet, was using riddles and puns. good study this! Jeremiah 11
• (also it is thought, that jeremiah started dictating because he was not allowed in the temple to teach them; so he sent Baruch. interesting). 
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• Jeremiah was very much associated with temple life; but not the inner court where priest did rituals; rather the outer court where conversation and teaching occurred.
• Daniel, who lived at the same time as Jeremiah, met God in study and revelations; daniel would have had Jeremiah’s writings, or at least been familiar with them for some time;  for they both lived in Jerusalem at the same time, and Jeremiah was famous. And had to have started circulating his writings through Baruch for these temple conversations which he was not allowed to attend after a period. 
• kin the outer court, people offered wisdom, poems, political thought etc–it was the place where the intellectual life of the Jews developed and occurred.
• the book of Jeremiah the prophet is an anthology crossing 40 years of ministry. the first collection was probably just the first 8 chapters which was destroyed by the king; then jeremiah kept having his teachings, poems, thoughts, stories, compiled over time…
•  
• Jeremiah had a lot of problems getting published! Baruch does a retelling or contextualizing of the whole compilation, later in Egypt, and then someone else also tried to cull together all the writings. it is truly an anthological collage of the writings and life and times of Jeremiah the Prophet!
• HIS LEGACY
• the lasting legacy of Jeremiah is often said to be his PERSONAL INTIMATE relationship with God. That he and God were in very close contact for a very long time. 
• He, like Daniel, sought to understand the times from a spiritual perspective, but his hallmark seemed to be a real living spirituality as opposed to just religion. So in many ways, his life bumped against the religious spirit! As well as the governments-at times. Daniel had great favor in government; Jeremiah had erratic favor from the various kings.
• Jeremiah=personal COMMUNION with God was his foundation. 
• as they are exiled, Jeremiah buys land un Israel–sign of hope!
• He cared about the people to whom he was prophecying!

“Power belongeth unto God.” The Holy Spirit is the person who imparts to the individual believer the power that belongs to God. This is the Holy Spirit’s work in the believer, to take what belongs to God and make it ours. All the manifold power of God belongs to the children of God as their birthright in Christ. “All things are your’s” (I Cor. 3:21). But all that belongs to us as our birthright in Christ becomes ours in actual and experimental possession through the Holy Spirit’s work in us as individuals. To the extent that we understand and claim for ourselves the Holy Spirit’s work, to that extent do we obtain for ourselves the fullness of power in Christian life and service that God has provided for us in Christ. A very large portion of the church knows and claims for itself a very small part of that which God has made possible for them in Christ, because they know so very little of what the Holy Spirit can do for us, and longs to do for us. Let us study the Word, then, to find out what the Holy Spirit has power to do in men.

We shall not go far before we discover that the same work which we see ascribed in one place to the power of the Word of God is in other places ascribed to the Holy Spirit. The explanation to this is simple. The Word of God is the instrument through which the Holy Spirit does his work. The Word of God is “the sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17). The Word of God is also the seed the Spirit sows and quickens (Luke 8:11; I Peter 1:23). The Word of God is the instrument of all the manifold operations of the Holy Spirit, as seen in Chapter 1.

If, therefore, we wish the Holy Spirit to do His work in our hearts, we must study the Word. If we wish Him to do His work in the hearts of others, we must give them the Word. But the bare Word will not do the work alone. The Spirit must Himself use the Word. It is when the Spirit Himself uses His own sword that it manifests its real temper, keenness and power. God’s work is accomplished by the Word and the Spirit, or rather by the Spirit through the Word. The secret of effectual living is knowing the power of the Spirit through the Word. The secret of effectual service is using the Word in the power of the Spirit. There are some who seek to magnify the Spirit but neglect the Word. This will not do at all. Fanaticism, baseless enthusiasm, wildfire are the result. Others seek to magnify the Word, but largely ignore the Spirit. Neither will this do. It leads to dead orthodoxy, truth without life and power. The true course is to recognize the instrumental power of the Word through which the Holy Spirit works, and the living, personal power of the Holy Spirit who acts through the Word.

But let us come directly to the consideration of our subject: What has the Holy Spirit power to do?

1. Turn to I Corinthians 12:3,

“Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, But by the Holy Ghost”

The Holy Spirit has power to reveal Jesus Christ and His glory to man. When Jesus spoke of The Spirit’s coming, He said: “But when the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me” (John 15:26). And it is only as He does testify of Christ that men will ever come to a true knowledge of Christ. You send men to the Word to get a knowledge of Christ; but it is only as the Spirit takes the Word and illuminates it, that men ever get a real living knowledge of Christ. “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” If you wish men to get a true knowledge of Jesus Christ, such a view that they will believe on Him and be saved, you must seek for them the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Neither your testimony nor that of the Word alone, will suffice, though it is your testimony, or that of the Word, which the Spirit uses.

But unless your testimony is taken up by the Holy Spirit and He Himself testifies, they will not believe. It was not merely Peter’s words about Christ that convinced the Jews at Pentecost. It was the Spirit Himself bearing witness. If you wish men to see the truth about Jesus, do not depend upon your own powers of exposition and persuasion, but cast yourself upon the Holy Ghost and seek His testimony. If you wish yourself to know Jesus with a true and living knowledge, seek the witness of the Spirit through the Word. Many a man has a correct doctrinal conception of Christ, through a study of the Word, long before he has a true personal knowledge of Christ through the testimony of the living Spirit.