The Power To Create

I've been reading 'A Room Called Remember," written by Frederick Buechner.  He has an extraordinary mind.  

This morning I read his piece on The John 1:1f: -- where he opens one's mind to some amazing  thoughts on how God's Word is:  

"But the imagery of John is based rather on sound than on sight.  It is a Word you hear breaking through the unimaginable silence -- a creating word, a word that calls forth, a word that stirs life and is life because it is God's word, John says , and has God in it as your words have you in them, have in them your breath and spirit and tell of who you are.  Light and dark, the visual, occur in space, but sound, this Word spoken, occurs in time and starts time going. "Let it be" the Word comes, and then there is, Creation is.  Something is....." (p.86)

There is a line in Ted Loders prayer:

“It is a wonderful, fearsome thing, that you share your power to Create.”

If we would look closer to this claim, of this power to create, it becomes an awesome revelation.

It is saying God give us -- you and me -- his capability to make something.

Something positive, helpful, a beginning of something, ....

Have you ever thought you had God’s power to create?

Just imagine it!

Loder is not saying that it is power to create something grand and extraordinary.

Rather he is suggesting the small and amazing things that bring joy, or grace, or inspiration, or pleasure to the environment we live in.

But

      a song that we sing or music we play,

          a masterpiece that leave one in awe.

              bringing laughter to one’s heart,

                   a poet’s truth telling,

a gentle word or touch.

This morning when I read that line — A line I have read countless times before — I thought about when I write, or teach, or preach.  There is the possibility, in my words, to bring wonder, questions and maybe even doubts. Doubts that challenge someones mind or heart. Or make their faith a tiny bit stronger.

Loder writes; 

“…and it is mine by your genius or madness this power to speak and have light burst upon a minds or darkness descends upon a heart.” (p. 110 Guerrillas of Grace)

Something to ponder as you move through this ordinary day.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵(John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” ’) ¹⁶From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. (John 1)