on my friend kevin thompson's blog, i got reconnected with the thoughts of andre resner. resner is a pretty interesting guy. he taught my life and teaching of Jesus class at acu, was strict as hell, and blew my mind in a lot of ways. i lost track of him after i graduated, heard that he had gone through a divorce, and i wondered how a man so lessoned in theology and thought weathered such an experience. not addressed specifically as such, i suppose this excerpt from an essay published at this link in the blue rock review (full essay starting on page 87) is some sort of reply to that question...
"Though incarnated love has failed us again and again, we have yet experienced real love through these fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, children, husbands and wives. Did they ultimately fail to love us as we most needed to be loved, as we yearned to be loved? Yes, largely yes. Just as we failed them. But the answer is no, also. Because pure love sometimes got and gets in the mix too. We have been held in an embrace that took us out of time and space and made us aware of something much bigger than ourselves and our losses and our failures. We have known love, love that surprised us, thrilled us, validated us as human beings, love that evoked within us awe, praise and gratitude. We have seen in the eyes of another the look and gaze of understanding, care, and ultimate concern. Looking in those eyes that locked on us we were granted a portal to the Divine gaze, the Divine love, the Divine promises. We need a community of nurture, where love is allowed to breathe."
i recently saw m. night shyamalan's the village. in it there was a quote more profound than maybe any other bit of script from cinema. you probably remember it (did it move you like it did me?).
"the world moves for love; it kneels before it in awe."
Immanuel has come. thanks be to God.
hallelujah.
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7 comments:
This is good. Probably good-er than I can take in right now.
Pardon the good-er.
Thanks Jackson for pointing me to this article.
Here's another quote from the same:
"God is calling out a new corps of weeping prophets in our day to stand up to the false prophets in politics and religion who preach peace when there is no peace. The weeping, protesting prophets of God are those who give voice to their tears, anger, hope and expectation through whatever means their mind and body chooses--dance, image, song, gesture, word... 'The words of the prophets are writen on the subway walls.' The creative catharsis is born of moments when the artist's soul confronts the gap between experience and promise and is truthful to what comes forth."
Some are finally starting to pay attention to these "weeping prophets". Will we listen?
Thanks for the article, Jackson. I was particularly struck by these words:
"The anger and the grief we feel when we really engage our lives' and our world's struggles are not the stuff that gets in the way of faithful living, they are the stuff of faithful living. It is because we have hoped so much and believed so much that we grieve at the edge of town, and that we, too, are angry at the graveyard. To weep is really to hope. To be angry is really to believe."
I could keep quoting...this is really encouraging...I hope it is true...Lord, may it be true...
My love for that movie you mention just grows and grows...it really evokes strong emotion in me - there's so much beauty in it.
Lord, if you had been here, my baby boy would not have died!
"Jesus is the one guy that could say, 'It's all going to work out all right,' and really mean it. But he never does. Facing the grief that these people feel, he feels it too. And standing there in the midst of their turmoil, questions, accusations, bereavement, and wet eyes, 'Jesus wept.'
Thank you for sharing this article, Jackson. This really touched me. If you don't mind, I may post excerpts of this on my blog, too, at some point.
i'm delighted you read andre's meditation. examining what has emerged for you (mark, adam, brooke) brings more meaning to the passages. and of course, brooke, i don't mind at all (although since i hold the copyright to all of andre's work, you'll have to pay a royalty). you guys make the matter good-er. pardon the good-er.
happy, blessed christmas to all of the griggs. will you hug your wife for me? i remember her beauty though its been years since i've seen her. (you chose well, jackson!) i need to come through waco soon . . . maybe we can arrange an outing? (or an "in"ing?) once again, christmas blessings. . . may GOD be with you all through this coming year.
This has nothing to do with the above post, but since I don't have your email address and I'm hoping you will discover this comment at some point...
I finished the top ten movies list you requested. You may view it at: www.xanga.com/MaryZiehe (how's that for a sneaky way to make you check blogs?)
REALLY enjoyed hanging out with y'all the other night!
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