Worship of the Living and the Dead

Strange are the self-worshipers, since they worship carrion.

(Spiritual Sayings of Kahlil Gibran pg. 53)

Oh, that we would recognize our death, as the very dry bones filling the valley of Ezekiel's vision (Eze.37)!  Our sins have slain us and we are destroyed.  We lay scattered in all our macabre regalia...kings and paupers, priests and prophets, farmers and soldiers, clergy and laity.  How will we ever be saved if we cannot even cry out for lack of flesh for our dry bones, lack of breath to cry out to the only One who could answer?  Where is that one who will speak to the valley of dry bones and prophesy that we might be clothed with flesh and flesh clothed with skin?  Where, again, is that breath from the Living LORD that will blow and fill that valley and fill that mighty army to live as we were created to?  May the Spirit of Life speak through His people and give life to all who hear and may these dry, dry bones live and be made flesh and be filled with the breath of life!  And may we truly worship the Lord and Giver of Life and not the dry, dry bones....

Naming-and-Claiming It

"He is a traitor who uses the Gospel as a threat to extract money...a hypocrite who uses the cross as a sword...a wolf disguised in a lamb's skin...a glutton who adores the tables more than the altars...a gold hungry creature who runs after the rolling coin to the farthest land...a cheat who pilfers from widows and orphans.  He is a monstrous being, with an eagle's beak, a tiger's claws, a hyena's teeth, and viper's fangs." (Spiritual Sayings of Khalil Gibran p.60)

Talk about a message that needs to be heard by the many preachers who have taken to proclaiming another gospel...which seems to know nothing of poverty, sickness and suffering...of THE Crucified's life and the concomitant crucified life.  Greed, gluttony, lies and manipulation do not belong to the Kingdom.  God help us!

Celebration of Destruction?

"People speak of plague with fear and tremor, yet of destroyers like Alexander and Napolean they speak with ecstatic reverence." (Spiritual Sayings of Khalil Gibran p.2)

It is a paradox that while we shutter to see the horrors of natural catastrophes, famine and disease, yet we hold in high reverence (as Khalil notes) those who destroyed whole peoples, slaughtering their women and children, depriving of brother and father, laying waste their fields and livelihoods.  It is shocking how we could idolize such persons.  I speak for myself when I say that my heart is stirred to repentance that I have held such men in high esteem...ignoring their ignominious deeds and monstrous acts.


As I've taught through Ezekiel for our Wednesday Bible study group these last many months the horrors of destruction have driven me into a weekly sorrow.  It was only those wicked ones about Israel that celebrated her destruction and exile...and the LORD promised those nations that their rejoicing would lead to their sorrow (see Eze.26-28).  It is perhaps noticeable as well that whereas David did not wish to suffer at the hands of man, but if he must suffer judgment to suffer pestilence in the hands of the Merciful God (2 Sam.24:13-14).  Should we not feel "fear and tremor" at the violence of men who did not fear God and instead were destroyers of those made in God's image?

Lord help us to not rejoice at the sorrow of others, but to give due honor to You as the Lord and Giver of Life.  May we be found in your merciful hands and granted the mercy we show to others.

Reading a Great Poet

Khalil Gibran is one of the most well-read (and cited) poets of all time (touted to be only following Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu according to the New Yorker).  A Lebanese born American of the the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he was born of Maronite parents (his father actually having been a priest) and moved to Boston as a young man.  Khalil is most remembered for "The Prophet" (1923)--which is a collection of 26 poetic sermons delivered by a fictional ancient sage--but besides writing numerous works in Arabic and English he was also renowned as an artist.  While theologically there are things which I strongly disagree with in his writings, yet there is a beauty and intensity to his style that calls one to believe and be spiritually renewed.  I hope to blog some of his quotes over the next several weeks from a new volume I recently purchased.  For those interested in some of his works that are available online you can find them HERE.  Happy reading!