hovering and covering
what is the first thing we learn about the Spirit of God?
visiting orphanages in ukraine, russia, ghana, el salvador, and honduras, i have seen emptiness. I have seen void and lack of form. it's easy to concentrate on marvin, the 14-year old murderer and gang member who was rejected by his mother and now lives in a juvenile detention center in honduras. it's easy to see sergei in a poor and cold orphanage far north of moscow. he walks around with headphones on - but there are no batteries and no tape. he's reaching for something, but coming up skeletal. it's easy to see kaufi, an orphan who always smiles gets along with the other children in her village of sokode-etoe in ghana. but when it's time for bed at night, she is alone.
but this isn't all that our eyes should see. above the void, the Spirit of God is hovering and covering. God speaks life and light even in these dark and lonely places. read that familiar passage with this perspective in genesis 1:2-3. this is the first thing we learn about the Spirit of God in scripture. if we had bigger eyes to see that God is present - even in these places - it would compel us to action and confidence in the face of so much pain.
yellow roman candles
the memories of my time with nastya in russia and marilynn in el salvador are forever burned on my memory. these teenage girls (who barely looked 13 because of lack of nourishment and affection) could not look me in the eyes. why? because i'm an adult. i'm a man. something fiercely evil and horribly unjust has happened in their lives. so how did they react? they closed their eyes! they are hiding!
in ephesians 1:18-21, paul prays that the believers will have their eyes opened. the greek word is photidzo, which is less like opened and more like blinded by a bright yellow roman candle that snaps and burns. and what are our eyes opened to? inheritance, hope, and power. these are three things that orphans don't have. but when we have bigger eyes to see them as God's children, and when they have bigger eyes to see beyond the pain in the moment to the God who is their good father, they will have bigger eyes. they will open their eyes wide to inheritance, hope, and power.
a look of compassion
the week before Jesus's arrest, torture, and execution, he rode into jerusalem in the midst of chaotic celebration. the story is told in luke 19:41-44. he could have been distracted by the noise and the clamour and the crowd. after all, he was getting all kinds of attention - the kind of political and celebrity attention that many of his followers thought was the next inevitable step in the establishment of God's new community, the kingdom. but even in this moment, Jesus notices something different.
Jesus has bigger eyes. he opens his eyes and takes in all the extreme needs of the city and the people he loves. he is overwhelmed. he is compelled. his look of compassion is the heart of God's message of hope to our world.
my prayer is that as we care for the world's orphans that we would have bigger eyes.
Amen. I was teaching from Geneis during the first week of school, trying to engage my kids in Story as True, and getting them to enter in to the Story. The image in verses 2-3 haunts me as I think of the Spirit of God, the feminine aspect of His Deity, brooding over the watery depths. How long did this go on? What was God thinking? He's hovering, covering, moving over the surface thinking and creating in His mind what this all will look like. We think that He was finished after day six, and that He intervenes when necessary. But as the Story goes on, we see that He is intimately involved in every moment and every aspect of Creation. He is continuously creating, sustaining, and redeeming. His creation of man was first and foremost an invitation. "Come and join with me. Fellowship with me in unbroken communion, and create, sustain, and redeem with me." When we stop at day six, then we leave all God's creation to fend for itself. This is one key to understanding exactly what you have written here. We must have bigger eyes to see that God's Spirit still broods over His creation. Only then will we be able to enter in and join the song.
And only then will we begin to bind up the brokenhearted, preach the Good News to the poor, and live religion that is of utmost value to our Heavenly Father.
Posted by: Mike O'Donnell | October 02, 2007 at 09:12 AM