Thursday, June 23, 2011

On bucket lists and travelling

The kids were rightly incensed when they heard that Alice Pyne had been getting nasty spam messages. They wanted to send her messages saying how I'm in IT and they were certain I'd be able to do something to block all that negative stuff. It's been a while since I've seen Pads bucket list. He keeps his journal pretty private lately. The list contains fairly normal, even mundane, things really, with the exception of wanting to see his siblings become Christians... that's pretty rare these days, but we have a gracious God.
I'm reading Spurgeon's Autobiography at the moment - volume 2, 'The Full Harvest'. He'd been sent on a recouperative trip to Europe and, reflecting on all the marvellous sights and sounds, said this (p33):
If you cannot travel, remember that our Lord Jesus Christ is more glorious than all else that you could ever see. Get a view of Christ, and you have seen more than mountains, and cascades, and valleys, and seas can ever show you. Thunders may bring their sublimest uproar, and lightenings their awful glory; earth may give its beauty, and stars their brightness; but all these put together can never rival Him of whom Dr. Watts so well sang - 
Now to the Lord a noble song!
Awake, my soul; awake, my tongue;
Hosanna to th’eternal Name,
And all His boundless love proclaim.
See where it shines in Jesus’ face,
The brightest image of His grace;
God, in the person of His Son,
Has all His mightiest works outdone.
The spacious earth and spreading flood
Proclaim the wise and powerful God;
And thy rich glories from afar
Sparkle in every rolling star.
But in His looks a glory stands,
The noblest labor of thine hands;
The pleasing luster of His eyes
Outshines the wonders of the skies.
Grace! ‘tis a sweet, a charming theme;
My thoughts rejoice at Jesus’ Name:
Ye angels, dwell upon the sound!
Ye heav’ns, reflect it to the ground!
(Amazingly they leave the following (final) verse out of the Autobiography... but it's in our excellent hymnbook!)
O may I live to reach the place
Where he unveils His lovely face!
Where all His beauties you behold,
And sing His Name to harps of gold!
This transfixing, transporting view of Christ does not fade with the years and it is impossible to become familiar in the way that those who live near the world's natural wonders do. It is a view that can be seen perhaps most clearly from the bed of sickness, poverty or prison, as His people have testified down through the years. If you have not seen this view, as is said, you havnt lived! You must not die without it.
Pads is his usual helpful self around the house. He's always the first to offer help with putting clothes away, make a cup of tea, tidy up. Moli'd asked him if he had some lined paper and he was up and down the stairs to make sure she had it later, even though I'd told him I had seen her writing on some!

No comments: