 |
| Bob's articles in the Examiner: CLICK HERE |
|
The Wreck:
Storms Hit Ft. Worth, Texas
By Bob Chochola
Friday, June 12, 2009 Issue
National Examiner
“Be adored among men. God, three numbered form: Wring thy rebel, dogged in den, man’s malice, with wrecking and storm. Beyond saying sweet, past telling of tongue, thou art lightning and love, I found it, a winter and warm; Father and fondler of heart thou [have] wrung: Hast thy dark descending and most art merciful then.”
Gerard Manley Hopkins
From The Wreck of the Deutschland
Spring and early summer in Fort Worth, Texas means one thing: violent weather. Yesterday was a good example of this certainty. Like clockwork, a classic storm line developed to the west of town during the afternoon hours and rolled through in the evening like Godzilla on the war path. Trucks were thrown from the interstate; large trees snapped like twigs and hurried down the street as if they were giant tumbleweeds. Windows were blown out and strong gusts of wind-sheer tore roofs from homes like a can opener peeling the tops off of sardine cans. Flood waters rose quickly, while rush hour traffic on local highways and city streets came to a complete stand-still. Egg-to-tennis-ball-size hail and flying debris made it very dangerous to be outdoors amid the projectiles.
Although early weather reports only spoke of “possible” funnel clouds, the radar showed tornado activity was likely, if not probable, for much of North Texas. This was confirmed by photos of the multiple twisters that danced through town like a chorus line of dark twirling wall clouds under a spectacular Klieg light show of lightning bolts and exploding transformer boxes. It was awesome; the more dangerous and frightening, the more “beyond all control and understanding” it seemed to be.
This weather pattern is oft repeated in these parts – if you have lived in this part of the country for any length of time, you may be quite used to the spectacle. Some storm seasons bring this very event through town almost on a daily basis for two straight months. It’s like Russian roulette only with tornadoes.
Conditions do have a habit of lining-up just right in a North Texas spring; where there are large “domes” of hot and humid air pushing up from the Gulf of Mexico, unrelenting cold fronts still traveling down from the north via a jet stream that has yet to retreat to a summertime post, and an ever-present dry line of desert air all intersecting, there will be turbulent weather. Three key ingredients bring storms so far beyond human control and understanding that all a mere mortal can do is wait, watch, and wonder.
God is present in much the same way; Christians experience God as the Holy Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit come together perfectly, so that He can live in, walk with, and work through His creation.
It is quite common to understand God the Son. Jesus is the benchmark that puts into perspective all understanding of the term, God. Jesus walked this Earth and brought The Living Word of God to human form – to His people. Jesus was born, lived, and crucified a human, then risen beyond the grave. This is tangible; this is provable through human experience and witness, the miracle of Jesus. His work, His Earth walk, recorded and passed down through thousands of years of teaching. Christians experience God through Jesus Christ because He walked in the presence of mortal man.
So too, the Holy Spirit is present here and can be seen at work every day. Believers understand the Holy Spirit to be God dwelling among and working through His people. This is most certainly true.
Through the Holy Spirit, God is here among His people at all times – at work – leading them to the place He has prepared for all believers.
What about God, the Father? The concept is not often discussed and seldom witnessed – even in church.
It could be that part three of the Holy Trinity is so far beyond human comprehension that it is by far the least explored. Remember Moses’ encounter – in person – with God? The light of God was so bright that Moses couldn’t even look at it.
Again, in the Book of Isaiah, we see God described this way:
“…I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Attending Him were mighty Seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!’ Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.”
Isaiah 6:1-4
These are incredible images. Think about the scale and majesty: “the train of His robe filled the Temple.”
Seraphim, or serpent-like angels with six wings, are not something you see every day, yet it was Isaiah’s message to teach King Hezekiah of Judah - to trust in the Lord – even if it seems as though all hope is lost. We are reminded again here that God the Father is not something that can be seen; “With two wings they covered their faces…” to shield their eyes from the sight of God. This third part of the Holy Trinity is simply too bright to look at with the naked eye – even if you are an angel.
The story continues:
“Then I said, ‘It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips... Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, ‘…Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.’ Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’ I said, ‘Here I am, send me.’”
Isaiah 6:5-8
Living in this 21st Century, with busy schedules, devices to manage responsibilities everywhere we go, and ability to juggle our lives with incredible ease through the help of modern technology, it is easy to overlook the fact that we are not in control here – God is.
Violent storms and twisters that render humanity helpless and leave even the most knowledgeable experts at the mercy of nature are a perfect reminder of God’s awesome power; they show us that there still exists a third party within the Holy Trinity, that which mere mortal humans cannot understand and cannot know completely in this life. A spiritual force beyond our reach without Jesus; there exists a realm we can only know through the Living Word.
One day, through this Living Word, and that right which Christ won on our behalf upon the cross, we will have our place with God. This is granted already for all who choose to believe. Until that day, it is Isaiah’s message to say when God asks every one of us, “Whom should I send as a messenger to the people?” We might reply, “Here I am, send me.”
Until then, it may be wise to realize that there is at least one thing we cannot explain, or control.
“The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8
|