ETERNITY WALLED IN A WOMB
My favorite contemporary Christian poet is Luci Shaw, who has a book of poems on the Incarnation. She has such pungent phrases. Here are a few I’d like you to reflect on:
Eternity walled in a womb
The Word, stern-sentenced to be nine months dumb
I’d love your reflections on these phrases, your thoughts on why Jesus was willing to leave Paradise, when he had such a sweet relationship with the Father, and undergo such confinement, such limitations, and eventually such sorrow. Why did He do it and what does this mean to you personally?
I find that sometimes thoughts untangle themselves as we write out our thoughts — and the very act of writing them down helps us to focus, to not miss Him, to renew our minds.
Please let us read your thoughts.
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Hi Dee! I love talking about “Him whom my soul loves!” I love your questions! I find it quite amazing to think about the God of the whole universe taking upon himself human flesh, humbling himself and becoming a man and not only a man, but he took the role of a servant! And I think of that verse which says, “greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friend.”
Last night, I was looking up the word “judge”, and I came across the verse following John 3:16 – verse 17, and it says, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” (NLT) The thought that came to me is that the very one who could judge us, and He alone would be right and accurate in his judgement – He didn’t come to judge – but to save! How amazing is this God of ours, so unlike us.
Good thoughts. So unlike us, and yet willing to become like us!
It blows my mind to think of “Eternity walled in a womb.” How can we really fathom the significance? As I looked at the picture of the baby in the womb, I thought that Christ Jesus must have looked the same. The innocence of a baby, the vulnerability, the joy he is intended to be. It reminds me of the Christmas song, “Mary Did You Know?”. She truly had so much to ponder,things she could not possibly have voiced to another human. How she must have cried out to God. When I consider that Christ left the presence of the Father in eternity to come to earth – The Way, The Truth, and The Life – Eternity walled in a womb, humbled before God and man for me, I am in awe.
I love “Mary, Did You Know” too — can hardly believe comedian Mark Lowry wrote it! :-)
Good reflections, Deidra.
The thought which came to mind was Psalm 16, here are a few verses:
5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
Just like a child pulled back from running into the street who is chasing after her favorite ball by a parent who knows what is best for her child. I feel God who has limited himself for the purpose of us knowing Him, can not only relate to us because of his humanity, but knows what boundaries we should embrace in order to fulfill not only our desires as we delight in God, but God’s desires as He delights in us.
We, as a society, feel freedom is when there are no boundaries, and Jesus proves what true freedom really is by bounding himself to be human, fully dependent on God and thus fulfilling God’s dreams for humanity. Freedom lies in limitations, such as God’s commandment to love Him only; having no other gods before Him.
Thanks, LivingLoved –
I’m asking God to free from the idolatry of finding my identity in other things than Him — your thoughts are good.
Thank you for your vulnerability, greatly appreciated.
makes me wonder how willing I am to leave my comfort zone!
Always the prophet, Sal — who makes us think. Me too. Yet I must say some of the most exciting times in my life occurred when I have stepped out and left my comfort zone. My husband was always pushing me beyond my comfort zone and I know I tend to retreat back into it without his prodding!
Jesus certainly left His.
Thanks for that thought.
I love all these great thoughts – it spurs my thinking and it helps me to love Him even more. Reading your comment Dee – so “unlike us” yet willing “to become like us,” the thought that comes to my mind, is that perhaps He came also – to show us – how to live! As, I believe Diedra said, He took upon himself our same limitations. I think of a baby in the womb, totally dependent, for life and sustenance. I think of a child as he grows, still dependent for food, for care, for guidance, for teaching. Dependent on all these things for his spiritual, emotional, physical and mental growth. It’s a mystery – God became man! This baby – whose father was God! What greater parent could you have? Then I think about when you are “born again,” when we are “born again” – we receive “new life.” Like being conceived – we are given new life. And the life “giver” is God. God then becomes our father and “we” his children!
Thanks for spuring my thoughts this morning! =)
“we” his children! mmmmmm … what a thought! thanks.
I love this discussion. Surely does make me weepy though.
Blessings,
Deidra
Luci Shaw is an amazing poet and photographer — she was also the first to believe in me as a writer — so I feel a special debt to her. Her book of poetry: A Widening Light: Poems of the Incarnation is amazing. Here is a little more from her poem: Made Flesh:
After the bright beam of hot annunciation
fused heaven and dark earth
his searing sharply focused light
went out for a while
eclipsed in amniotic gloom
his cool immensity of splendor
his universal grace
small folded in
a warm dim female space
The Word: stern-sentenced
to be nine months dumb
Infinity walled in a womb…
I see nuances of spiritual intercourse:
After the bright beam of hot annunciation
fused heaven and dark earth
his searing sharply focused light
went out for a while
eclipsed in amniotic gloom
his cool immensity of splendor
his universal grace
small folded in
a warm dim female space
Beautiful. However, I question Shaw’s use of words: gloom, dim, dumb. Why does she use those seemly negative words? Is it because earth is that inferior to heaven, maybe? (probably off topic, sorry).
Nontheless, the word dumb evoked a thought of how much I tend to talk or gush out perhaps sentimental love as oppose to sincere, godly or sisterly love to another woman. Coming from a perverted female lifestyle I am desperate to know how to rightly love another woman as a godly friend in the midst of my sometimes strong confusing feelings.
All that to say is, for me, sometimes though my feelings might want to impulsively express themselves, perhaps its best at times to be dumb and not express at all … for say 9 months, to work out these feelings of mine, then love aright. If Jesus remained silent, I could through him, also. There is a time for everything. “A word fitly spoken …”, Proverbs says.
Livingloved (Have I told you I like your name?)
Good thoughts.
I think Luci Shaw’s use of gloom, dim, small is a portrait of what the Lord of Glory was willing to give up to come to us –
his whole earthly life was one of humility.
Thanks for your good ponderings!
Thank you, Dee. I pray I flesh out that name; it will take a life time. Like Jesus who embraced the cross, when Jesus/God embrace the earthly creations of humanity, I think those which God created would be no less than heavenly creations when God creates and embraces it. To me that is God’s heart of bringing Heaven to Earth. As in Christ in us, the hope of our glory!
Pondering indeed, thanks again, bless you!