The Beauty of Salvation (9)
“Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them. Acts 14.17. 18
Bearing witness to Jesus can be hard work in this age in flight from God. As David Bentley Hart observes, “human beings resist the Spirit with indefatigable ingenuity”. We need all the “weapons” we can muster to make the case for God, His Christ, and Christ’s Kingdom.
One way to approach our witness is by appealing to beauty, and, in particular, the beauty of creation. All people are open to beauty, even if they have a hard time defining the idea. They know a beautiful bird or tree or sunset when they see it, and they find such divine beauty most agreeable. Helping people observe the beauty of God in creation can be a way of pointing them to Jesus. As Hart observes, “It is this [divine] beauty that becomes visible again in Christ. And yet, even so, the ancient beauty of creation that recrudesces in Christ remains for now a word among words, no less delicate as a historical actuality than any other, no less subject to distortion, corruption, or the forgetfulness of those to whom it has been entrusted.”
Paul understood the beauty of creation. He appealed to it in his witness and reminded us of our duty toward it, which includes liberating the beauty of God to be found there before the eyes of the world. Think how often Jesus appealed to creation to imprint His teaching on the minds of those who heard Him. We must do no less.
Evangelism is a process, not an event. The Gospel is about our “beautiful Savior;/Lord of all creation”. And the beauty of creation can be an effective resource for helping to open the souls of lost neighbors to the Good News of Christ and His Kingdom. Let us not fail to draw upon this “word among words” to enrich our teaching and bolster our witness for the Lord.
Being disciples and making disciples
We cannot make disciples if we don’t know what we’re trying to achieve. How shall we think about disciples and discipleship, except as God presents these in His Word? This is Dr. Mike McQueen’s starting-point for disciple-making. Listen in to my conversations with Mike by clicking the tool bar or the link at the top of this issue of Pastor to Pastor.
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are considering how to grow that divine administration of grace. Our Read Moore podcast begins excerpts from our booklet, If Men Will Pray. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we are examining the life and work of Coemgen of Glendalough. And in our Scriptorium column we focus on Matthew 3. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
The Ailbe Bookstore: If you’d like some help in learning to think about creation as a revelation of divine beauty, our book Consider the Lilies might help. Order your copy by clicking here. Also, please note that our newest book, The Disciplined Life, is now available in our bookstore as a free PDF by clicking here. And if you’re looking to improve your witness for the Lord, our book, The Confident Witness, can help. Order your free PDF copy by clicking here.
Resources for Shepherds: Ailbe Brother Stuart Kellogg reviews an important book about ten books that have been too importantover the past two centuries. It’s not too late to get involved with Ailbe Brother Rusty Rabon’s online Advent calendar. For more information and a link, click here.
From the Celtic Revival
Coemgen (498-618)
One day when he himself was going,
Coemgen, with his sheep onto the hill,
There came to him a troop of poor men,
Starving for want of food.
– The Monk Solomon, Life of Coemgen
Coemgen was renowned for his preaching, teaching, and asceticism. He was also a devoted disciple-maker and community-builder. But this excerpt, from a larger episode, shows us that he also took a hand in the daily work of keeping a monastery going—like taking the sheep out to feed. As the story continues, Coemgen gave his seven sheep to the “starving” men, and, as he returned to Glendalough, he learned that God had replaced those sheep by some means Solomon does not mention.
This sounds like a rounded life to me: disciplined, devoted to the Lord, generous, committed to making disciples and proclaiming the Kingdom. It’s why I find the lives of these saints so instructive and encouraging.
Resources from the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800 AD)
What was the Celtic Revival? One of the greatest and most enduring revivals in the history of the Christian movement. Also, one of the least remembered. Would you like to learn more about this four-centuries-long period? Our free PDF book, The Celtic Revival: A Brief Introduction, provides a concise overview, from Patrick to the Synod of Whitby and beyond.
T. M. Moore
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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.
