The Shepherd’s Example (12)
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2.14
The earth is always filled with the glory of God. That’s not the problem. The problem is no one’s paying attention. No one looks to see God’s glory, and so God’s glory remains unknown. Sadly, this is true of many Christians, too.
The glory is there to be known, and knowing God’s glory is transformative. As Hildegard of Bingen wrote, “God, who created all things in his will, made them so that his name would be known and honoured.” If the people of God would look to see more of God’s glory, perhaps they would honor Him and grow to love Him more. They might even grow in their ability to set their minds on unseen things, as Hildegard wrote: “Through His creation He not only makes known visible and temporal things but also invisible and eternal things” (Scivias).
Scripture teaches that God is pouring forth His glory, 24/7, through the things He has made (Ps. 19.1-4). That being so, why do we see so little in the way of responses of wonder, awe, admiration, reverence, and thanksgiving on the part of people? On our own part?
Because seeing God’s glory in His creation is a learned skill, a theological discipline that we must practice so that it will become more of a reality in our everyday lives. Seeing God’s glory like this is thus an aspect of our discipleship, a discipline for which we must be equipped.
And this is where we come in. God’s shepherds are called to make disciples who will honor and glorify Him. We must teach them how to see His all-around-us glory. But first we must become more proficient in this discipline ourselves. The more we glimpse the glory of God in all created things, and know the joy that comes with each of those fleeting moments, the better able we will be, like docents in an art museum, to lead those we serve into the knowledge of the glory of God which is right at hand.
And this is how God intends that the knowledge of His glory should cover the earth, as we all become docents of His Presence with us.
Being disciples and making disciples
Perhaps the most crucial aspect of being and making disciples is living in the Presence of the Lord. In my conversations with Mike McQueen, we begin the first of a series of discussions on this topic. Click the link or the audio bar at the top of this teaching letter to listen in.
Resources for Shepherds
Men, last call to register for one of our Fall Reading and Study Groups. Here are the options available to you. All gatherings are online via Zoom and last one hour each. This is a great opportunity to learn and grow into the knowledge of God and His glory. Register today:
- Men’s Reading Group (1): Praying with the Psalms (monthly)
- The Lewis Group (1): God in the Dock (bi-weekly)
- The Lewis Group (2): Weight of Glory (bi-weekly)
- The Writers’ Group: C. S. Lewis and the Art of Writing (bi-weekly)
- Christian Classics for Discipleship: Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, Books 1 and 2 (bi-weekly)
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are immersed in the first of 14 studies on “grace economics”. This week our Read Moore podcast begins a tour of the exaltation of Christ and His work in the here and now from our book, What in Heaven Is Jesus Doing on Earth? In our Crosfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, the saint presses on in his journey to reach The Promised Land of the Saints. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
From the Celtic Revival
Brendan of Clonfert (fl. ca. 560 AD):
Those who bear the Good News of Jesus won’t always find a welcome reception. Brendan and his crew learned this in a most alarming way as they sought to land at what was probably Iceland:
After this they saw a couple, hideously black like the colour of a smith’s coal, coming out of the forges, as if they were going to do some work or other. And when they saw God’s people, they turned back into the forges, and brought out two charges of molten iron, red hot, which they held with tongs in their hands, and rushing eagerly to the shore, they cast them at the boat.
– The Life of Brendan of Clonfert
Brendan saw a lesson in this shocking encounter, and he urged his companions to rejoice and give thanks to God.
Follow the rest of Brendan’s adventure of faith—which, while certainly historical, is in many ways a parable for every believer’s journey in the Lord. Add our twice-weekly Crosfigell teaching letter to your subscriptions.
Devotional Histories
Brendan’s story is the fourth in our series of devotional histories of great saints from the period of the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800). Here are the other three, which are available as free PDF downloads in our bookstore:
Patrick: A Devotional History
Colum Cille: A Devotional History
Columbanus: A Devotional History
You might also enjoy our selections from the lives of other saints of this period, Lives of Irish Saints.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this issue of Pastor to Pastor helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
