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6/07/2006

ENTER THE CLOUD

I'm reading a lot of Mennonite writings lately and stumbled onto this beautifully concise prayer.

"O God, you withdraw from our sight that you may be known by our love. Help us to enter the cloud where you are hidden and surrender all our certainty to the darkness of faith in Jesus Christ." (Mennonite Hymnal, prayer #676)

I especially liked the suggestion that God's left or sight so that we're left to represent Him. to make Him visible with love. We're His ikons. And the image of a cloud of darkness around God through which human wisdom, formula and conjecture can't penetrate. There is a limit to what we can understand and describe of God. The rest, where faith is required, is darkness. And it might be in this darkness, the uncertainty surrounding the mysterious God, that many of us (all of us?) are compelled to surrender, not by our certainties. And this surrender brings us back around again to love.

There's a song in there somewhere. I just have to find it. In the cloud.

posted by Shaun Groves @ 6/07/2006   5 comments

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Interesting... I went through a period of reading mennonite writings

6/08/2006  
Blogger Kat Coble said...

I've gone through a lifetime of reading Mennonite writings. I highly recommend them.

6/08/2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry for the incomplete comment earlier. I was interrupted in the middle of typing.

Congrats on reaching your goal. I aim to contribute now... I didn't have the ready cash to before sorry

6/08/2006  
Blogger kathryn said...

you're right, it is beautiful.

6/08/2006  
Blogger Hale-Yeah! said...

i went to a mennonite school out here in CA. We have one of the largest mennonite communities in the states here and i mean culturally, not just denominationally (if that's a word). I won't make the stupid assumption that I am speaking of all MB's, but I was actually very turned off because their "community" was for them only, not for non-mennonites. I went there for a year and left. I can handle being an outsider, but the school's lack of forward thinking drove me crazy not to mention some of our theologies just plain butted heads. no hard feelings though, i just hope my kids don't want to go there. i hope and know that it has gotten better since i've been there. they have a much more diversified student body now.

6/09/2006  

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