It is totally true, awe depicted as "signs and wonders" is indeed still a constant theme in life, lest the dispensationalists take free reign in defining what is next, in their roll-outs of Biblical events. Given the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God, our contextual understandings may need an overhaul. Can we really understand it all, regardless of epoch?
The Bible began with an ode to awe: the First Creation was a song of Mystical Revelation; THE ONE'S-CREATION, LOVE AND UNITY, that was shrink into banality with a name "God" and a casual, summary of a few days of nature-Forming -- seriously downplaying the background notes of the Universe's First-Days of Awe-Awakening..
The awe-Song of God continued in Moses's God-Naming -- the mountain Peak-Experience, cleverly hinted at with words that point without intellectualizing,, avoiding the trap of using namings that would flatten, trivial;ize, and dual-ize the Revelation's Transcendent non-duality, in all its mind-bending, shocking, eerie-beauty: "I AM THAT I AM." is THE Monotheistic roar of direct Encounter, the Song that lifts the rafters of the Universe and celebrates God's All-Creating Glory.
And again, a joyful Creation-Song that greets the hearers of John:: In the Beginning was the Word., and the Word (Logos/Christ) was WITH God. and WAS God. Through Him All things were made."".That's the Soul's happy-dance, giggling with celebration, standing with awe in the Love pouring from God,/Christ, testified from Direct Encounter as shared in this little piece of abbreviated Mystical Revelation and monotheistic Mystical theology. This little prologue is Love-poetry by mystics singing in carefully coded whispers while they.dance on rooftops.
I think that a lot of our "fear of the Lord" language is intended to mean awe, not terror. I feel that every time i see new photos from the Webb telescope and others; also on the micro level as life once again emerges from the soil...
I wrote a Vacation Bible School curriculum for my D.Min. at Lancaster Theological Seminary called "I Wonder!" My dissertation was "I Wonder: Scientific Exploration and Experimentation as a Practice of Christian Faith" and I used some of that early research about experiences of awe to lay the common ground between faith and science. Lady Wisdom helped a lot, especially in Proverbs 8:22-31...so did having a church camp a mile away from the church where we could spend an evening stargazing!
Adding a story Dasher reminded me of - beholding stars in a dark sky for the first time! Similar story to his - I brought a bunch of at-risk kids from San Francisco up to the Sierras for a mountain bike camp. Spend time in nature away from the city (& mtn bike & music - drumming & art & science). The first night they were there they were off-the-charts ecstatic to see the stars! Elevation 7,000 ft, dark sky, many had NEVER seen a sky full of stars. JOY! I wasn't expecting this - incredible!
I've never really thought about "awe" in such depth before. Yesterday I looked through my daughter's vacation picture book of the national parks in Utah.....I had to hug that book before I gave it back to her! What a gift she had given me at that moment. That was "awe"!! I need to stop and notice "awe" more frequently!
I guess I'm the outlier.... I wasn't inspired by the video presentation. You can't make yourself feel awe..... maybe I don't recognize awe or I just need to pay more attention. Diana, I do look forward to Sunday Musings every week! Every blessing to you.
I've been reading Dacher's book ""Awe, the new science of everyday wonder and how it can transform your life" so discovering this video this morning was a super delight! The science of awe is super interesting! Spending time in nature is spending time w/ God - I think whether we're conscious or intentional about it and even not! This is where he speaks to me, where my spirit is nourished - since I was a young child. I've always needed to spend on hour or more everyday, movement in nature. If I miss a days or 2, my longing calls out, I get antsy. Will be hiking in the high Sierras soon!
It appears that 'awe', as a reaction to a sense of wonder, or happiness, can lead us to a life-changing 'mind set' of 'gratitude and/or thankfulness'.
If we are mostly living our world in thoughts, a state of gratitude and/or thankfulness can potentially have a way of altering the way we think and perhaps in the way we experience our life.
Thank you Diana for this reminder of 'awe'. Much appreciated.
Helpful. wise and inspiring words as usual! Thank you so much. Just what I needed to read and hear today. The video on Awe is excellent and taught me much.
I’m listening to your book, Grounded, as I pack for yet another move to support my daughter in community (this one feels right) and I must admit that, after all the ugliness we’ve experienced in the pews - for being different and yet wanting to belong - that my true sanctuary is now found on a path in the woods, sitting in our kayak on a lake, or sitting in the grass as my daughter swings at the playground in full reverie of flying through the air! I imagine that if I ever got a chance to sail in a boat with the living, breathing Jesus I too, would experience awe. So I choose to believe he IS sitting beside me in the grass - maybe napping as I would if not for my constant vigilance for my daughter who both needs and deserves it! Peace be with your Spirit, and seek the awe of the bees on the clover just inches from your outstretched foot and the birds flying just a bit higher than your daughter swinging and hoping to touch that one cloud just out or reach of HER outstretched foot!
What an extraordinary offering during ordinary time! Thank you for including Dacher Keltner today. I'm back commenting after the 25 minute session on awe. This will be of great value to me in restoring my relationship with my youngest daughter. She is in her mid-30's and just beginning to express awe as she is experiencing of the outdoors in Washington State. Thank you!
I’ve discovered that it’s possible to participate in an experience of transcendence. I sing in my city’s Bach Choir, and singing his great pieces, alongside the wondrous works of others, such as Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, has given me the experience of taking part in reproducing, however inadequately, a work of such beauty, such majesty that for sure I am awestruck (though never silenced). And the wonder is also that such an experience wouldn’t be possible were not every one of us working to produce that sound, those words, TOGETHER, no one standing out, but singing as one. And of course the best of those works celebrate the life and death of Jesus. Soli deo gloria!
I am in awe (of the pre General Convention of the Episcopal Church) "Revival Service" in which we heard readings, testimony, Scripture readings, song, and preaching from retiring Bishop Curry. Bishop Curry always lifts my spirit , and shows me a way forward and he especially did this evening. His long message was always on point and he was "assisted by an interpreter into another language. This was besides ASL . And perhaps her translation was retranslated into other languages. But as anyone who has ever seen Bishop Curry speak knows ,he Speaks with his body as well as with words. And, sometimes appears to go off script as the Holy Spirit leads him. She kept up with and at times was able to anticipate his moves all the while translating. Emphasis was: and reminder for me, the 11th Commandment from Jesus, "Love one another as I have loved you." And directly to members of congress as well as us, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Yes, Diana I read your meaningful reflection and I am grateful to have the ability to go back over tomorrow after church. Know I am Blessed to have had access to both you and Bishop Curry over the last few years and why I am back "affiliated" with an Episcopal Community in part because of both of you, and your writing and online presence. In Peace and LOVE Bonita
I should have written, ". . . from whom our inmost nature recoils IN TERROR . . . ." A terror God seeks to remove if we will allow God to reconcile us on God's terms.
It is totally true, awe depicted as "signs and wonders" is indeed still a constant theme in life, lest the dispensationalists take free reign in defining what is next, in their roll-outs of Biblical events. Given the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God, our contextual understandings may need an overhaul. Can we really understand it all, regardless of epoch?
The Bible began with an ode to awe: the First Creation was a song of Mystical Revelation; THE ONE'S-CREATION, LOVE AND UNITY, that was shrink into banality with a name "God" and a casual, summary of a few days of nature-Forming -- seriously downplaying the background notes of the Universe's First-Days of Awe-Awakening..
The awe-Song of God continued in Moses's God-Naming -- the mountain Peak-Experience, cleverly hinted at with words that point without intellectualizing,, avoiding the trap of using namings that would flatten, trivial;ize, and dual-ize the Revelation's Transcendent non-duality, in all its mind-bending, shocking, eerie-beauty: "I AM THAT I AM." is THE Monotheistic roar of direct Encounter, the Song that lifts the rafters of the Universe and celebrates God's All-Creating Glory.
And again, a joyful Creation-Song that greets the hearers of John:: In the Beginning was the Word., and the Word (Logos/Christ) was WITH God. and WAS God. Through Him All things were made."".That's the Soul's happy-dance, giggling with celebration, standing with awe in the Love pouring from God,/Christ, testified from Direct Encounter as shared in this little piece of abbreviated Mystical Revelation and monotheistic Mystical theology. This little prologue is Love-poetry by mystics singing in carefully coded whispers while they.dance on rooftops.
I think that a lot of our "fear of the Lord" language is intended to mean awe, not terror. I feel that every time i see new photos from the Webb telescope and others; also on the micro level as life once again emerges from the soil...
I wrote a Vacation Bible School curriculum for my D.Min. at Lancaster Theological Seminary called "I Wonder!" My dissertation was "I Wonder: Scientific Exploration and Experimentation as a Practice of Christian Faith" and I used some of that early research about experiences of awe to lay the common ground between faith and science. Lady Wisdom helped a lot, especially in Proverbs 8:22-31...so did having a church camp a mile away from the church where we could spend an evening stargazing!
Adding a story Dasher reminded me of - beholding stars in a dark sky for the first time! Similar story to his - I brought a bunch of at-risk kids from San Francisco up to the Sierras for a mountain bike camp. Spend time in nature away from the city (& mtn bike & music - drumming & art & science). The first night they were there they were off-the-charts ecstatic to see the stars! Elevation 7,000 ft, dark sky, many had NEVER seen a sky full of stars. JOY! I wasn't expecting this - incredible!
I've never really thought about "awe" in such depth before. Yesterday I looked through my daughter's vacation picture book of the national parks in Utah.....I had to hug that book before I gave it back to her! What a gift she had given me at that moment. That was "awe"!! I need to stop and notice "awe" more frequently!
I guess I'm the outlier.... I wasn't inspired by the video presentation. You can't make yourself feel awe..... maybe I don't recognize awe or I just need to pay more attention. Diana, I do look forward to Sunday Musings every week! Every blessing to you.
I've been reading Dacher's book ""Awe, the new science of everyday wonder and how it can transform your life" so discovering this video this morning was a super delight! The science of awe is super interesting! Spending time in nature is spending time w/ God - I think whether we're conscious or intentional about it and even not! This is where he speaks to me, where my spirit is nourished - since I was a young child. I've always needed to spend on hour or more everyday, movement in nature. If I miss a days or 2, my longing calls out, I get antsy. Will be hiking in the high Sierras soon!
It appears that 'awe', as a reaction to a sense of wonder, or happiness, can lead us to a life-changing 'mind set' of 'gratitude and/or thankfulness'.
If we are mostly living our world in thoughts, a state of gratitude and/or thankfulness can potentially have a way of altering the way we think and perhaps in the way we experience our life.
Thank you Diana for this reminder of 'awe'. Much appreciated.
Helpful. wise and inspiring words as usual! Thank you so much. Just what I needed to read and hear today. The video on Awe is excellent and taught me much.
I’m listening to your book, Grounded, as I pack for yet another move to support my daughter in community (this one feels right) and I must admit that, after all the ugliness we’ve experienced in the pews - for being different and yet wanting to belong - that my true sanctuary is now found on a path in the woods, sitting in our kayak on a lake, or sitting in the grass as my daughter swings at the playground in full reverie of flying through the air! I imagine that if I ever got a chance to sail in a boat with the living, breathing Jesus I too, would experience awe. So I choose to believe he IS sitting beside me in the grass - maybe napping as I would if not for my constant vigilance for my daughter who both needs and deserves it! Peace be with your Spirit, and seek the awe of the bees on the clover just inches from your outstretched foot and the birds flying just a bit higher than your daughter swinging and hoping to touch that one cloud just out or reach of HER outstretched foot!
What an extraordinary offering during ordinary time! Thank you for including Dacher Keltner today. I'm back commenting after the 25 minute session on awe. This will be of great value to me in restoring my relationship with my youngest daughter. She is in her mid-30's and just beginning to express awe as she is experiencing of the outdoors in Washington State. Thank you!
Thank you for reminding me that ordinary time is not ordinary in the ordinary sense of the word, but truly awe inspiring if we allow it.
Lovely
I’ve discovered that it’s possible to participate in an experience of transcendence. I sing in my city’s Bach Choir, and singing his great pieces, alongside the wondrous works of others, such as Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, has given me the experience of taking part in reproducing, however inadequately, a work of such beauty, such majesty that for sure I am awestruck (though never silenced). And the wonder is also that such an experience wouldn’t be possible were not every one of us working to produce that sound, those words, TOGETHER, no one standing out, but singing as one. And of course the best of those works celebrate the life and death of Jesus. Soli deo gloria!
I am in awe (of the pre General Convention of the Episcopal Church) "Revival Service" in which we heard readings, testimony, Scripture readings, song, and preaching from retiring Bishop Curry. Bishop Curry always lifts my spirit , and shows me a way forward and he especially did this evening. His long message was always on point and he was "assisted by an interpreter into another language. This was besides ASL . And perhaps her translation was retranslated into other languages. But as anyone who has ever seen Bishop Curry speak knows ,he Speaks with his body as well as with words. And, sometimes appears to go off script as the Holy Spirit leads him. She kept up with and at times was able to anticipate his moves all the while translating. Emphasis was: and reminder for me, the 11th Commandment from Jesus, "Love one another as I have loved you." And directly to members of congress as well as us, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Yes, Diana I read your meaningful reflection and I am grateful to have the ability to go back over tomorrow after church. Know I am Blessed to have had access to both you and Bishop Curry over the last few years and why I am back "affiliated" with an Episcopal Community in part because of both of you, and your writing and online presence. In Peace and LOVE Bonita
I should have written, ". . . from whom our inmost nature recoils IN TERROR . . . ." A terror God seeks to remove if we will allow God to reconcile us on God's terms.