The Drowned Valley
A Poetic Meditation on the Old Stone Church , West Boylston , Massachusetts The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn. - Ralph Waldo Emerson , Essays: Nature There are places the world forgets, and others it keeps remembering for us. The Old Stone Church in West Boylston is one of the latter.
What the Hands Carry
Be not solicitous for the shadow of a great name, nor for acquaintance with many… (Imitation of Christ III,24)
THEOLOGY UNDER THE CROSS
THEOLOGY UNDER THE CROSS: Luther’s Theologia Crucis as a Criterion for Christian Doctrine and Assurance A Monograph by GBS jr 1998 Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain that it would die a thousand deaths for it. This confidence and knowledge of divine grace makes men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and all creatures. And this is the work of the Holy Ghost in faith. Hence a man is ready and glad, without compulsion, to do good to everyone. - Martin Luther, Preface to the Epistle to the Romans (1522) Abstract Th…
Learning Cold
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. - Matthew 1:22-23 KJV
Before the Straw
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. - John 1:14 (ESV) B efore the straw, before anything noticed, there was a body.
Verse Thirty-Five
Before the stone, before the cry That split the dark and called life nigh, He lingered where the mourners stood, In dust and ache and misunderstood hope.
What the Star Did
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. - Matthew 2:7-9
THE ATONEMENT AS MORAL GOVERNMENT AND PENAL SATISFACTION
THE ATONEMENT AS MORAL GOVERNMENT AND PENAL SATISFACTION A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic-Theological Evaluation of Charles Grandison Finney’s Doctrine of the Atonement A Monograph by GBS jr 2020 Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. - Psalm 85:10 (ESV)
What Hesitated
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. - John 1:5 (ESV)
The Earth Noticed
I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would cry out. - Luke 19:40 The stones noticed first. Down where nothing is named, they warmed a little, not from fire, just from being near to something.
When Time Slowed
When the fullness of time had come… - Galatians 4:4 (ESV, partial) Nothing much happened, at least not that you’d point to. No crack in the sky. No flare or sign. Just the sense, standing there, that things weren’t keeping pace.
What Was Missing
He emptied himself. - Philippians 2:7 Nothing was announced. Nothing was held back. He simply wasn’t there anymore.
The Knock
The Herald tries again, with fewer titles. The monk responds again, “We don’t know him.” And the Herald tries a third time. This time using the forename of the emperor, describing him as "a mortal, sinful human being [who] requests permission to enter.” At which point the door is opened and the Capuchin monks exclaim, "So they may enter." “A mortal, sinful human being.” - part three of the Habsburg Knocking Ritual At the door of the ordinary day I pause - knuckles raised, breath held.
The Other Side of the Door - 1984
A Two-Piece Manuscript: The Door & the Silence Some doors remain closed until your faith knocks hard enough to hear your own heart . - Oliver B. Greene I. The Door That Kept Me Going I was twenty-one. Broke. Wearing yesterday’s uniform and tomorrow’s fear. College slipped away. My son didn’t. He needed me - so I drove. Thin mornings, Richmond-bound, Chamberlain to the old highway, the Ambassador breathing smoke, gauge flirting with E like it wanted to leave me behind. Sometimes I asked out loud if God even rode with me - if anyone did. The…
