The Face of God

Star of Bethlehem, Magi - wise men or wise kings travel on camels with entourage across the deserts to find the savior, moon, desert, Holy Bible, Etching, © 1885 © Photo By Wonderlane

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” – Genesis 3:8

“So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” – Genesis 3:24

The Face of God

(Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 2:1-12)

Once we walked in the loving gaze
Of the face of God
In Eden’s beauty paradise
On heavenly earth; on heavenly sod
Our transgressions made us outcasts
And dark winds blew us,
To the East, it threw us
The wind withered the land
The fallen outnumbered the sand
None could rest, not kings in their riches
Nor the poor with outstretched hand . . .
And the prophets cried out
The priests offered sacrifice and praise with shout,
And the kings waged war and decreed
Until it was clear, all people bleed
And silence deafened the people in need
Then the starry night came. . .
Wise men were called from the East
Back to their Prince of Peace
His star led them there
With gifts of worship so fine and fair
The Light had entered darkness
After four hundred years of silence
Broken in a babies cry
For all to live, who once had died
The Shepherds came with staff and rod,
And these wise men, to see the face of God
In former days, and in many ways
God spoke and now by His Son,
In these latter days
He walks again with His people
In Eden made anew
His face and their face; seen through and through
To once again walk in that loving gaze
In the Glory of the face of God
In Eden’s paradise
On heavenly sod
To be right again with our God
Heaven came down and intimacy restored
Both rich and poor have seen their Lord

© December 2011, Robbie Pruitt

Hebrews 1:1-4

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;^ who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

Comfort! Comfort!

Simeon and Anna Recognize the Lord in Jesus
Painting © 1627 by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned. . .” -Isaiah 40:1-2

Comfort! Comfort!
(Luke 2:22-38)

My eyes to your salvation gaze
To the light that turns my night to days
Behold! Your salvation I see!
Before death, when I taste eternity
Waited, waited, and waited
For comfort to come
In the Temple’s Holy sanctum
I have seen your consolation
For this, and every nation
Our souls to rescue - Save!
You comfort . . .
Our fear we brave!
In your glory we bathe
Comfort! Comfort!
We are not in want
“May I see the consolation of Israel!”
Experience fulfillment of this narrative’s tale
Anna waits in expectancy
And death knows no reality, until mine eyes can see
Salvation which dawns to eternity
Simeon is my name
Waiting until The Lord’s Messiah came
Basking in His glory and fame
Watching as He removes our fallen shame
A light for every Gentile
To Israel and all people; for all the while
Asher waited too
Holding her beauty through and through
Waiting for consolation; Comfort! Comfort!
A patient bride without effort
Daughter of the face of God
Partaking in the journey to Heavenly sod
A beauty fit for Priest and King
Waiting on betrothal’s ring
And the Glory of the song that Heaven sings
The comfort that the bridegroom brings

© Robbie Pruitt, December 2011

Simeon’s Prayer

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.” -Luke 2:29-32

Nightlight Flames

Night Flames, © 2011, Photo by Robbie Pruitt

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” – John 1:1-5

Nightlight Flames

Smoke in the air
Stench filled
Billows
Of ashen tomorrows
Burnt and bare
Embers and ash
Cinders and trash
A light
To Illuminate
The night
So darkness does not
Overshadow
With fright
Courage stills the steady hand
That knows no flame

© November 2011, Robbie Pruitt

“And what communion has light with darkness?” – 2 Corinthians 6:14

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” –John 8:12

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:5-7

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982.

East Wind Blowing

Offshore winds on the SS Gairloch shipwreck,

photo by dcysurfer / Dave Young

“Behold, it is planted, Will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew.” – Ezekiel 17:10

“Your oarsmen brought you into many waters, but the east wind broke you in the midst of the seas.” – Ezekiel 27:26

East Wind Blowing
(Ezekiel 27: 25-36)

Will we topple and fall
Waver to and fro
Be swayed back and forth
As we blow

Where we are planted,
Will we thrive
Fight against the prevailing wind
And survive

Will the east wind break us
Out at sea
Swamp us and drown us
Endlessly

Throw us into wave and tide
Swallow us
From the starboard side

Will the fruit and seed be blown,
Be dried and withered,
And never grown

East wind blown
And buried
Tossed and carried

There is another prevailing wind
A Wind, Life Giving
Blowing within

© November 2011, Robbie Pruitt

John 3:5-8

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” – Jesus

Late Autumn Epiphany

Late Autumn Epiphany, Photo by Michael Bixler

Late Autumn Epiphany

Transfixing night skies
Illuminating love
With blind eye
Sun blown hair
Rays of light
Leaves of Autumn
All is right
Daylight streaming
Through the trees
Passion drops me
To my knees
Leaves of Autumn
Chill of air
Transcendence and freedom
Our joy to bear
Late Autumn Epiphany
You are all I see

© November 2011, Robbie Pruitt

Poem based on the photograph by the same title by Michael Bixler

Graced Darkness

Photo 10-10-11 by .daftlikelex

“Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” –John 8:12

Graced Darkness
(Ephesians 2:4-10) 

(1 John 1:6-9)

In the darkest night of grace
I see your face
Illuminating the dark places
Leaving Light traces
In the shame
And in the hopelessness
Of work’s races

Where Grace Light shines
Sin has no places
Dark corners are revealed
Transgression erases!
Grace spills over into me
Endlessly
Love embraces

© October 2011, Robbie Pruitt

The Father Atones

Photo of Sodom from Glo Bible

Romans 5:8-11

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”

The Father Atones

(Ezekiel 16:53-63)

As sin’s deeds have been done,

your Lord’s wrath has begun.

Daughters of Sodom and the sons,

and captives of Samaria,

they have brought upon.

I, The Lord, will repay

for the sins, disobedience,

broken covenant,

and all you disobey.

The Lord will remember!

My covenant I will keep,

though my wrath burns

at your rebellion

like fire and ember.

My covenant I will keep;

from days of old as we weep.

As shame falls upon you,

I will hang my head.

For your sins atonement,

and all that you dread;

I alone shall atone.

Hang my head;

at the Father’s dread.

Ashamed and defamed,

until it is me that is dead.

Until up out of the grave,

after three days stay,

My Glory is displayed,

as my splendor is arrayed.

My everlasting covenant

in the days of your youth.

Remember your ways,

and number your days!

For all

I have atoned.

For you, but not you alone.

To keep my everlasting covenant

and to revive dead bones.

©2011, Robbie Pruitt

http://robbiepruitt.blogspot.com/

“Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. . . .that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord God.’ ” – Ezekiel 16: 60 and 63