Moonshine

I guess this will be my un-spooky post on All Hallows’ Eve. The pic we took from our back deck sparked an idea for a poem but this all I’ve got so far. 

...I find peace outdoors in the serenity of a crisp Autumn night like this, backlit clouds breaking to reveal a silver moon. How many of our ancestors looked up in wonder to the heavens — how seldom do we bother to get beyond the light pollution of ‘civilization’ and lift up our heads or downcast souls. 

Imagine what a monumental discovery it must have been to first perceive the moon actually has no light of its own to give but is only reflecting the sun back to us in our darkness. 

Seeing the true source of our light and life indirectly is always the human condition, lest we become blinded by its glory. 

Over the past decade one of the less serious symptoms of my chronic illness has been extreme sensitivity to light. As other dog walkers would ritually pause to watch the setting sun on our west coast, I alone would be forced to look away with a touch of self-pity; it was only on one such day that I began to see all the brilliant hues and shades lighting up the trees, and started to wonder: how could one paint this? The seeds of artistic creativity had germinated. 

Lately I have been reading and thinking about prayer in an attempt to facilitate a zoom discussion on How To Pray. Part of the challenge is finding a path to stillness wherein one can begin to be contemplative. 

 

“In commanding us to glorify him, God is inviting us to enjoy him” – C.S. Lewis

In this life we rarely get a glimpse of the glory of God. So it must be, for by definition it would overwhelm our finite capacity to take it all in. We can, if only we pay attention, behold the brilliance of God reflected and refracted all around us. 

“Be still and know that I am God.” - Psalm 46:10

The sun is still there, we know, despite the darkest storm clouds of life. The Light of the World filters through the fog of our dim perception and graces us with a rainbow reminder. By keeping the faith we find our way to hope in what we cannot yet see, trusting that when the new Day dawns we will see Him face to face. 

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” - Hebrews 11:1-3

“We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!” - 1 Corinthians 13:12 (The Message)