Dragon Down

The fearsome fire of taunting terror

roaming the face of the earth

seeking someone to devour

to and fro heart to hearth

Roar and fluff of pride and stuff 

of bluster full with wind

a toothless scowl and harmless growl

that wields a Cheshire grin

You've been undone from tip to tail

full desecration nail to scale 

no more to harm or fool to charm

by hollow sore or grim travail

The narrow stake has power take 

all glory from your light

withered gone plunged fire headlong

into the Lake stoked white

Marriage: The Two-Gendered Icon of the Image of God

God created male and female as his image in creation. Humanity, not merely individuals, is created in the image of God. Both male and female, together, making up the humanity that bears the mark of its Creator. From this beginning, marriage is intended by God to be a reflection of this image, an icon of the wholeness of both genders making one image of God. A single-gender definition of marriage is a single-gender representation of humanity, theologically, and therefore sexist by nature not merely at the cultural level, but at the universal foundation of what it means to be human. Even greater than this it is a misrepresentation of the image which God declared at the beginning to be his own.

This misrepresentation of God goes obviously far deeper than merely the issue surrounding marriage to all forms of idolatry and self-worship which every one of us has fallen and is currently wrestling with in all its different forms, but the issue of marriage is prevalent today, thus I write.

It is because I love my friends that I hate what destroys us, and because I love my God that I hate what dishonors and misrepresents him, just like I do when someone misrepresents those whom I love. I hate sin within me, with all its desires which lead me to misrepresent my God, and I long for the day when it is eradicated upon seeing the gloriously burning light of Christ Jesus which melts this inner dross away. For now, I glory in his washing of my sin and in his gracious imputing of his perfect righteousness in place of my wandering heart's sinfulness and rest in his ability to hold me close and bring me all the way home to the God who has authority over all.

For my Christian brothers and sisters, consider the story which God began and God will close. Consider for yourselves and for your neighbor the glory and the sin, the fall and the redemption in Christ Jesus, the despair and the hope of restoration in Him. For in Him all the glory of God dwells and all the promises of God find their 'yes'. Our daily experiences from birth are Fridays full of struggle and death and the bitter tang of carrying crosses within and without, but Sunday is on the way and the sun of righteousness is dawning and his name is Jesus.