Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Enjoy the violence
[I wrote this piece for my church newsletter. Hope you like it. ~ BP]
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.”
Psalm 19:1, AV
G.K. Chesterton taught me to love violence. God’s violence. That fat, joy-filled British author taught me to glory in the violence of God in creation.
Concerning the Creation he writes that “there was something personal in the world, as in a piece of art; whatever it meant it meant violently”[1]. What Chesterton means here in context is that when God created the world, He created something magnificent and beautiful, even magical. God meant to create something, and He meant it violently. Our Father went about creating with the energy of a child.
Think of the leaves on the trees. In summer, they are splendidly green, the same color as Robin Hood’s hat! In the fall, they are red, orange, and yellow. They are bold, brash, glorious colors that stand out and scream of God’s glory. God could have made leaves ashen-colored, but He made them like fire. In fall, our trees burn, but they are not consumed!
Think of the trees themselves. How queer are they! Out of the ground come these monolithic creations that tower over us. They are blades that come out of the ground, pointing to their Creator, yet these blades dance for Him in the wind.
Again, think of pumpkins. They are big, fat, and jolly. They are exuberant: they wear orange! Pumpkins are so joyous that we feel the need to give them smiles. They’re so happy that even their seeds taste good. So, when you go outside the next few weeks, look around and praise God for giving us a violent, peculiarly wonderful creation! Revel in it. Do so while raking those leaves of fire! And afterwards, snack on some pumpkins seeds with friends.
[1] Chesterton, G.K., Orthodoxy. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1995), p. 70.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.”
Psalm 19:1, AV
G.K. Chesterton taught me to love violence. God’s violence. That fat, joy-filled British author taught me to glory in the violence of God in creation.
Concerning the Creation he writes that “there was something personal in the world, as in a piece of art; whatever it meant it meant violently”[1]. What Chesterton means here in context is that when God created the world, He created something magnificent and beautiful, even magical. God meant to create something, and He meant it violently. Our Father went about creating with the energy of a child.
Think of the leaves on the trees. In summer, they are splendidly green, the same color as Robin Hood’s hat! In the fall, they are red, orange, and yellow. They are bold, brash, glorious colors that stand out and scream of God’s glory. God could have made leaves ashen-colored, but He made them like fire. In fall, our trees burn, but they are not consumed!
Think of the trees themselves. How queer are they! Out of the ground come these monolithic creations that tower over us. They are blades that come out of the ground, pointing to their Creator, yet these blades dance for Him in the wind.
Again, think of pumpkins. They are big, fat, and jolly. They are exuberant: they wear orange! Pumpkins are so joyous that we feel the need to give them smiles. They’re so happy that even their seeds taste good. So, when you go outside the next few weeks, look around and praise God for giving us a violent, peculiarly wonderful creation! Revel in it. Do so while raking those leaves of fire! And afterwards, snack on some pumpkins seeds with friends.
[1] Chesterton, G.K., Orthodoxy. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1995), p. 70.
// posted by BLP @ 4:32 PM 
