Friday, February 15, 2008

A Word about Praising


From Reflections on the Psalms
by Lewis ( mentioned in a recent
Tim Keller sermon from Redeemer
of NYC....his new book is out!)
chapter called A Word About Praising:

"It is along these lines that I find it
easiest to understand the Christian
doctrine that "Heaven" is a state in which
angels now, and men hereafter, are
permanently employed in praising God.
This does not mean , as it can so dismally
suggest, that it is like 'being in church'.
For our 'services' both in their conduct and in
our power to participate , are merely attempts
at worship....We are not riders but pupils in
the riding school ..
To see what the doctrine really means , we
must suppose ourselves to be in perfect love
with God ~~ drunk with , drowned in,
dissolved by, that delight which ,
far from remaining pent up within ourselves
as incommunicable,hence
hardly tolerable, bliss, flows out from us
incessantly again in effortless and perfect
expression....

The Scotch catechism says that man's chief
end is 'to glorify God and enjoy Him forever"
But shall we then know that these things
are the same. Fully to enjoy is to glorify.
In commanding us to glorify Him ,
God is inviting us to enjoy Him.

Meanwhile of course we are merely, as Donne says,
tuning our instruments."


Liverpool Museum:

'Angel Playing a Flageolet'

Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898)

'Angel Playing with a Flageolet', Edward Burne-Jones
Zoom into the detail of this painting


5 comments:

Amber Benton said...

Not like being in church! That brings so clearly to mind a hot summer Sunday in church with everyones fans waving (homemade pleated ones, and ones that folded up into little metal cases)and feeling crowded in by elbows. Singing Amazing Grace slowly but loud, feeling sleepy and dizzy, and when we got to the line "When we've been there 10,000 years" thinking 10,000 years of THIS??? My five or six year old mind was not sure how wonderful heaven was after all!

melissa said...

This post with the quote made me cry. Thanks so much. I must've needed it! :)

Gail said...

Amber, Speaking of Amazing Grace, have you heard Chris Thile playing it on banjo & dulcimer?? You would indeed not feel sleepy or dizzy! You would love it! Don't know if I can send music via e-mail (?)

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

This is a wonderful quote, and so true....always good to remember. We do need reminding!

Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment at Much Ado About Something...glad to "meet" you!

Amber Benton said...

Gail,

I have not, but WILL! Actually, I love Amazing Grace, and have had a few opportunities to perform it on the saxaphone in various situations, but this one particular Sunday is just something that stuck in my memory...