Contemplation #139
“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.” Isaiah 65:1
We often think of the reassurance that if we seek, we will find. This promise is true primarily because we were being sought by God. The burden is not on us to seek, because even the slightest attempt on our part will be met quickly. God has been called the ‘Hound of Heaven’ because he tracks us, pursues us, and runs us down though we are fleeing. God is not passively waiting for us to move toward Him, but hot on our heels after us even when we are running away. How much more will we find and be found if we turn toward him! We discover that he is the One who has been near all along. This is the Misseo Dei . . . God’s eternal mission.
Contemplation #140
“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.” Isaiah 65:17
God says that he is going to do something so different that it is best described as a whole new creation . . . a brand new world which gives a new reality. The Misseo Dei is that God is turning our world right-side up, recreating it to be filled with godliness, joy, peace, and oneness. In the verses that follow Isaiah describes God’s people as being completely attuned to God, their lives reflecting the blessings of such harmony, and the old ways being left behind. Since this is God’s Mission, the eternal purpose that God is working out through history, our work is to adopt this new reality and live it even while it is coming. We become the vanguard of the new heavens and earth, the ambassadors of God’s Kingdom come.
Contemplation #141
“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:2
Isaiah declares that God has regard for those who have been formed in humility and submission. In the beatitudes Jesus affirms what Isaiah says, for he is talking about the new heavens and new earth of Isaiah using the language of the Kingdom of God. Whatever the terminology, the Misseo Dei (Mission of God) has been God’s work to share with us a reality which embodies his nature so that we become like him and live as God lives. Our participation in the Mission of God is both that we live within this new God-defined world, and that we invite others to enter into this realm which is so close to them.
“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.” Isaiah 65:1
We often think of the reassurance that if we seek, we will find. This promise is true primarily because we were being sought by God. The burden is not on us to seek, because even the slightest attempt on our part will be met quickly. God has been called the ‘Hound of Heaven’ because he tracks us, pursues us, and runs us down though we are fleeing. God is not passively waiting for us to move toward Him, but hot on our heels after us even when we are running away. How much more will we find and be found if we turn toward him! We discover that he is the One who has been near all along. This is the Misseo Dei . . . God’s eternal mission.
Contemplation #140
“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.” Isaiah 65:17
God says that he is going to do something so different that it is best described as a whole new creation . . . a brand new world which gives a new reality. The Misseo Dei is that God is turning our world right-side up, recreating it to be filled with godliness, joy, peace, and oneness. In the verses that follow Isaiah describes God’s people as being completely attuned to God, their lives reflecting the blessings of such harmony, and the old ways being left behind. Since this is God’s Mission, the eternal purpose that God is working out through history, our work is to adopt this new reality and live it even while it is coming. We become the vanguard of the new heavens and earth, the ambassadors of God’s Kingdom come.
Contemplation #141
“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:2
Isaiah declares that God has regard for those who have been formed in humility and submission. In the beatitudes Jesus affirms what Isaiah says, for he is talking about the new heavens and new earth of Isaiah using the language of the Kingdom of God. Whatever the terminology, the Misseo Dei (Mission of God) has been God’s work to share with us a reality which embodies his nature so that we become like him and live as God lives. Our participation in the Mission of God is both that we live within this new God-defined world, and that we invite others to enter into this realm which is so close to them.
posted by Greg at 10:49 AM
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