The Face of God

It was a pleasure reading this poem, "The Face of God", at Quisqueya Christian School's annual Staff Christmas Party. Tara Thorn signed the poem along with the reading. This is a later recording of the poem, along with Hebrews 1:1-4, which was recorded at home the following weekend.


The Face of God

Once we walked in the loving gaze
Of the face of God
In Eden’s beauty paradise
On heavenly earth; on heavenly sod
Our transgressions made us outcasts
And dark winds blew us,
To the East, it threw us
The wind withered the land
The fallen outnumbered the sand
None could rest, not kings in their riches
Nor the poor with outstretched hand . . .
And the prophets cried out
The priests offered sacrifice and praise with shout,
And the kings waged war and decreed
Until it was clear, all people bleed
And silence deafened the people in need
Then the starry night came. . .
Wise men were called from the East
Back to their Prince of Peace
His star led them there
With gifts of worship so fine and fair
The Light had entered darkness
After four hundred years of silence
Broken in a babies cry
For all to live, who once had died
The Shepherds came with staff and rod,
And these wise men, to see the face of God
In former days, and in many ways
God spoke and now by His Son,
In these latter days
He walks again with His people
In Eden made anew
His face and their face; seen through and through
To once again walk in that loving gaze
In the Glory of the face of God
In Eden’s paradise
On heavenly sod
To be right again with our God
Heaven came down and intimacy restored
Both rich and poor have seen their Lord


© December 2011, Robbie Pruitt


Hebrews 1:1-4

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

Shepherds Abiding

As the High School Bible Teacher at Quisqueya Christian School, I have the privilege of speaking at chapel every now and then. This past Wednesday I had the opportunity to teach on the meaning of Christmas through Luke 2:1-21, focusing on Luke 2:8. In exploring why God would send angels as messengers to shepherds in their fields, we see that God has a shepherd’s heart. Christmas is about Jesus leaving home and living among us, His sheep, and laying His life down for us, so that we might have His life. Jesus is our Good Shepherd and Great King.

To view the Power Point slides from this talk, please visit this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2730FU8J2UtWUNPV2FReGlzUmM/view?usp=sharing

To listen to this chapel talk, click above or visit this link:

https://soundcloud.com/quisqueyachristianschool/robbie-pruitt-qcs-chapel-december-10-2014

Key Verses:

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” –Luke 2:8

"'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'”  –Matthew 2:6, NIV

Benediction and Prayer:

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” –Hebrews 13: 20-21, NIV)

Jesus Christ Heals You

The Johari Window, photo from StoneWritten

Scripture:

“Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed.’ Immediately he got up.” –Acts 9:34

In Acts 9:34; a man named Aeneas was in obvious need of healing, he had been bedridden for eight years. His need was evident to himself, as well as to those around him. Peter addressed this need and said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed.” God worked. Aeneas got up. He was made well.

Areas of our lives where we need healing can be obvious to us, and to those around us. However, there are times where it may not be so obvious to us where we need healing. Sometimes we can be blind to our needs, they can be hidden, or less obvious, to us, and to those around us. Sometimes our needs are unknown.

The Johari Window is an engaging tool of self-exploration where we can begin to explore areas of our lives that are 1. Open, known to self and known to others, 2. Blind, known to others, but not known to self, 3. Hidden, known to self, but not known to others, and 4. Unknown, not known to self and not known to others.

Questions for Reflection:

Look deeply at all the ways in which you need to hear “Jesus Christ heals you.”

How and where do you need healing?

Are there obvious, open, needs? What are they?

How can you explore the blind spots in your life? Who can you entrust to help shine some light into your life?

Are there hidden areas where you need healing? How can you get these things into the open? Who can you share your needs with?

Ask God to show you your blind spots and to show you the unknown areas of denial and defensiveness.

Pray for God to help you “‘get up’ and ‘make your bed’”. Ask God for the healing and restoration that you need to continue on in every area of your life where you need healing and restoration.

Prayer:

“Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (Adapted from The Book of Common Prayer, p. 830)