Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Images/Shadows
By Ramone - November 23, 2008
Before my wife and I were married, we wrote to one another and talked on the phone for about a year and a half. She lived in Osaka, I lived in southern California. It was a long-distance relationship. I had some good pictures of her that I loved, but oh, the real thing was so much better! Now that we live together, I realize I haven't looked at those pictures in years probably. They're happy memories. But I love my wife herself.
How would she feel if one day she found me talking to and gazing on her pictures? If she asked me a question, and I replied looking at her pictures, what would she think?
"Hey, I'm right here!"
I believe God is telling many of us in 'Christendom' that we have been looking to images, and in so doing have missed out on the Real Thing who is waiting to communicate with us in deeper and more intimate ways than we have ever known.
There are a thousand things that can be idols to us. Some are obvious (statues, icons, artworks), some are less obvious (ideas, theories, books, ministers, ministries, theology, even Scripture at times). But mainly here I will speak of images, icons, statues, artworks.
These things can be beautiful, and perhaps they can turn us to thinking of God, but if we are depending on them then there is a problem. If we need the external stimulus, then there is a problem. Yes, we can't [usually] "see" God now, but,
"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29)The Holy Spirit is generally invisible for a good reason, I think. I believe God knows what He's doing, you know? If He had wanted us to depend on sight, then I think He would've made the Holy Spirit a bit more visible. But if He had a darn good reason for being invisible, then it would be good for us to learn it and submit to Him.
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8-9)
We live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
I think it connects to how ancient Israel saw God (in the cloud) all throughout the exodus, and yet they still turned away from God. Somehow He knows that we are better off living by faith instead of by sight. It's what we need.
The Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?" (Numbers 14:11)I got this picture as I was putting my son to bed the other night and was myself resting in God's presence. I began to feel this on His heart, that many of His beloved children are turning away from deeper intimacy with Him because they are looking to images... and they don't know that images are becoming substitutes for Him Himself, even replacing Him at times (idols). They don't know that more is available than what they know. They are bottle-fed on images and come to depend on them, defend them to others, and train others to depend on them.
.JPG)
There's a time in the process of maturing when we must put down our images--things that are a mere shadow of Him--and draw closer to Him whether we can see Him or not.
And I think of Him... how He must feel when we don't turn and face Him, when we talk to things that are the image of Him, but don't expect to have more communication than we do, and don't expect that we can know Him deeper. I think of how He must feel, how He does feel, and I can only cry.
God, be Yourself the great 'iconoclast'! Spoil our images of You with Your very reality, Your fresh and overwhelming presence! Ruin us with Your presence, Your reality, Your substance, Your intimate touch and love, Jesus! In Your name I cry, amen!
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See also: "Graven Images" (at Weeping Jeremiahs) and "Hallowed Above Me" (at Heart For Adventists)
*****
This picture came together with "Call Me, Please!" --
# posted by Ramone @ 1:30 PM 
Comments:
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This is great. It took me a minute to "get" it, but it's a point well made for sure... especially good for an artist himself to remember, eh?
Yes, it's easy for anyone to get focused on the image instead of the real thing... the shadow instead of the substance. Artists, writers, anybody -- the "message" can even become a substitute for Him Himself. Check out this older picture (which, I note, desperately needs re-photographing, grr) -- http://art-for-jesus.blogspot.com/2006/09/get-up-and-follow.html
This is a perfect example of the Sabbath when we were looking at the representation of the rest rather than embracing the Rest, Himself. This one goes in the studies!
# posted by 
: 12/01/2008 2:47 AM
: 12/01/2008 2:47 AM
Yes, I halfway almost named this one "shadows", actually. I couldn't decide whether to call it "Images" or "Shadows", because both names are appropriate. I think I am going to rename it right now! (It used to be "Images", but now it is "Images/shadows").
There are the shadows of the Old Covenant which we sometimes resurrect or re-invent (Sabbath, Temple, Tithe, Priesthood, Holy Land, etc.), and then there are also new shadows that we create -- new ceremonies, new clergy levels, "liturgy", new 'temple' designs, symbolism, other new requirements that are meant to be instructive, pointing and representative but that often end up unwittingly replacing the reality in our eyes and hearts.
Living in Japan, when talking to Japanese Buddhists (and also to Western-grown folks attracted to the 'zen' image of Buddhism), I notice that they don't think of their images as "idols". They know it's "just an image" and don't think of it as the reality. Interesting, no? When you hear them talking about why they have the images they do, they speak of it representationally, the same way that we did in Adventism about the Sabbath/EGW, or the same way that Catholics do about statues (or Mary), or the same way that Orthodox speak about icons.
We all in the same way constructed a sort of loophole, a theology, that explained why our images/shadows weren't "idols". That is, it seems that the intellectual elite in each of these groups came up with the loophole explanations (excuses, really --sorry that sounds bad, but it's true). But then the 'common' peoples tend to latch onto the image/shadow. Hence you have many 'laypeople' in all of these faiths whose hearts are set on the image-shadows. Adventists with hearts set on the Sabbath, Catholics with hearts set on statues and 'Mary', Orthodox with hearts set on icons and rituals, just like Buddhists with hearts set on ceremonies and idols.
And in all of these things where we give our affections, our Lord is waiting there for our affections. He is a jealous God, and wants our affection for Himself, because He poured out His heart and life for us on the cross. He has given us His affection, but we so often give our love to things about Him, ideas, images, statues, icons, shadows, theologies, representations. We fall in love with old pictures like Sabbath, or make new pictures like icons, and our Lover is waiting there on the sidelines for us to realize Him, go to Him, and let Him fully into the gardens of our heart. To sing the Song of Songs with us.
Bless you in Jesus' name who are reading this. He loves you and wants to be with you even more than you want to be with Him.
In Jesus,
Ramone
There are the shadows of the Old Covenant which we sometimes resurrect or re-invent (Sabbath, Temple, Tithe, Priesthood, Holy Land, etc.), and then there are also new shadows that we create -- new ceremonies, new clergy levels, "liturgy", new 'temple' designs, symbolism, other new requirements that are meant to be instructive, pointing and representative but that often end up unwittingly replacing the reality in our eyes and hearts.
Living in Japan, when talking to Japanese Buddhists (and also to Western-grown folks attracted to the 'zen' image of Buddhism), I notice that they don't think of their images as "idols". They know it's "just an image" and don't think of it as the reality. Interesting, no? When you hear them talking about why they have the images they do, they speak of it representationally, the same way that we did in Adventism about the Sabbath/EGW, or the same way that Catholics do about statues (or Mary), or the same way that Orthodox speak about icons.
We all in the same way constructed a sort of loophole, a theology, that explained why our images/shadows weren't "idols". That is, it seems that the intellectual elite in each of these groups came up with the loophole explanations (excuses, really --sorry that sounds bad, but it's true). But then the 'common' peoples tend to latch onto the image/shadow. Hence you have many 'laypeople' in all of these faiths whose hearts are set on the image-shadows. Adventists with hearts set on the Sabbath, Catholics with hearts set on statues and 'Mary', Orthodox with hearts set on icons and rituals, just like Buddhists with hearts set on ceremonies and idols.
And in all of these things where we give our affections, our Lord is waiting there for our affections. He is a jealous God, and wants our affection for Himself, because He poured out His heart and life for us on the cross. He has given us His affection, but we so often give our love to things about Him, ideas, images, statues, icons, shadows, theologies, representations. We fall in love with old pictures like Sabbath, or make new pictures like icons, and our Lover is waiting there on the sidelines for us to realize Him, go to Him, and let Him fully into the gardens of our heart. To sing the Song of Songs with us.
Bless you in Jesus' name who are reading this. He loves you and wants to be with you even more than you want to be with Him.
In Jesus,
Ramone
Ramone
You know me, and you know that I don't believe in a god or any such being, but I find it so refreshing to read your words and see your way of living your Christian life. I see so many who say they are Christians, and they come across all preachy and turn me off. I really like the way you do things and am happy to be able to call you my friend. We may have different beliefs, but (in a different way) we have the same. Keep it up, my friend.
Kevin
You know me, and you know that I don't believe in a god or any such being, but I find it so refreshing to read your words and see your way of living your Christian life. I see so many who say they are Christians, and they come across all preachy and turn me off. I really like the way you do things and am happy to be able to call you my friend. We may have different beliefs, but (in a different way) we have the same. Keep it up, my friend.
Kevin
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