The Nile, Temples dug out of the sand, and each of us as God’s Temple

Good Morning, God

The most wonderful book came in the mail yesterday. Letters from Egypt by Florence Nightengale — written when she was 29 years old. Imagine that, God! Ah, the wonders of the online used book market. This View of the Nile (done in 1850s) is timeless. But, other scenes of Egypt – from the same time period – made me all too aware of the ravages of time.

In this painting you can see COLORS on the stone. Now, the artist could have made that up — or since the painting was done soon after the temple was dug out of the sand — perhaps the colors have faded in the 150 years since it was opened up.

Colored stone — especially the idea of COLORED Greek statues — shock us! Our aesthetic sensibilities were also shaken when the Sistine Chapel ceiling was cleaned and Michaelangelo’s bright colors were revealed!

Of course, as Tufte observed, it is very easy to do color badly. Still, I LOVE COLORS, God. And I love colors with Sun Light shining through them. I suspect, God, that You would love it if we humans had Your Light shining through us. Every once in a while we see that! We catch a glimpse of what YOU are calling us into.

We ARE called to be Your Temples — called to invite and welcome YOU to dwell within us. Indeed, God, Paul says to us in I Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

Powerful words — COME Holy Spirit, PLEASE COME!