Not sure what this page will be used for just yet. On occasion, I write something that I think might be useful or entertaining to others. It's not very often though. Most stuff I write is Memoria related. But for that oddball peice, there is a home. And it's here.
Immanuel, Creator
Note: Minor spoilers!
“Now watch the master”, He had said smoothly, a small smile indicated by the upturned corners of His small mouth forming, and His scarred hands coming out from beneath the waves of gray fabric. He held them extended in front of Him, long and elegant, fingers outstretched, and the air seemed to crackle around Him, holding its breath (if such a thing was possible), waiting on His supreme command. The few strands of hair that came from His hood span and danced around his head and shoulders; tense with some kind of electric energy waiting to flow out. Although the cloak and robes covered most of his body, he was tight; like a spring, all hard angles; the fabric draped over his still form, and for a moment I wondered if He was a statue that one of the Renaissance masters had carved years ago, hoping to catch in some way the essence of God. But still His hands were high in the air, motionless.
And then it began.
It was at first, for me anyway, a mere jumble of sights and sounds, so brilliant I wished to turn away, but felt trapped (and in some ways, desperate) to keep looking. As it went on the shapes became more lucid; the water of the lake, which before had been deep blue and as smooth as glass, had become a raging storm; the trees bent and twisted unnaturally, pale green light emitting from their branches as they grew and became more than trees; they became mere forms of color and light in space, weaving in and out of each other as lines do in composition. Where one ended, another began, the patterns too wild to be distinguishable at first, like some strange tapestry. But the Master seemed to know what He was doing, and his hands (the scarred, heavy hands, which at first had been so still) were now in frenzy, connected to arms that gestured in wide arcs, slicing and cutting the crackling air. If it were any other ‘man’; He would have looked insane, a madman. But here, knowing who He was, is, and will be, He appeared as nothing more than divine; “Immanuel”, God among Us, amazing and so full of power I felt my heart go weak; and I kneeled against a tree trunk, faint.
His back was turned to me throughout this, and I could not see His face, though his hood had long since fallen. His dark hair had taken to the wind, rising and falling, intertwining itself into the beams of light from the trees, rising above his head in great waves and torrents. The hem of His robes had lifted and showed his feet; bare, skimming the surface of the water, and, like his hands, covered in deep scars. But He didn’t seem to feel them, and although his face wasn’t looking toward mine, I could feel the joy coming off Him in waves; He was the creator at work.
Now as I continued watching, and He continued his movements, I realized that there was some method to His madness. His arms were still waving somewhat wildly, but now I saw He was making slightly more decisive gestures, creating slower, longer paths in the air, His hands moving, the fingers turning, and even occasionally taking a few steps forward and backward across the water, which was beginning to calm as well. I watched as the lines in the air, which had been so feral and unruly before, slowly began to harmonize, and I stared on in amazement at what they were creating. Faces of people, of all nationalities, all races, all languages, blurring together, all as one; some smiling, others crying with joy, and even some that laughed! I saw the birds of the air, and the beasts of the land, and the fish of the sea, each one defined perfectly, feather, skin, and scale, flawless in the mind of the Creator. The trees had stopped swaying now, simply extending their branches and cradling these new visions as the Master projected them. And even though I could not see Him from where I sat (still partially terrified, mind you), I somehow knew His face was radiant with love for His world, too vivid for my mind to process; His images set among twinkling lights like miniature stars; the colored paths were still between each one, and I perceived His will that this was the way we were supposed to be; together, dwelling in love with Him and with one another.
As I stared up in wonderment at all He had done in such a short time, I felt the air began to thicken, suddenly dark. The electricity was still there, but now it was deep, and I felt my heart sink to stone after seeing such lovely images. The mien of my Lord seemed suddenly to change also; I turned to Him, confused, but saw only that his movements had stopped, and once again He had taken to keeping His long arms in the air, the fingers outstretched, frozen in time.
Now the water under His feet seemed to sway, and it darkened, black as night, and ripples quivered and skipped over the surface, with some kind of bizarre rhythm and energy. Still my Lord did not move, and He looked to have turned to stone, and with shiver I remembered the old Renaissance sculptures and thought, “Not even close.” His hood had been tugged back into place, perhaps by Him, or perhaps by the wind earlier when I was staring upwards, but now He emitted an unfathomable emotion; and His face was darkened. I felt an even stronger anticipation than before, but now I felt stronger terror and fear. I crawled towards the edge of the lake.
Even as I reached it, again He changed; two sides of the same coin.
If I had thought Him wild or uncontainable before, now He was wholly an entity to Himself. He shrieked and raged, His arms wind-milling through space; His head was bowed; His feet spread apart, strong, as if in fighting stance. The water, which before had been merely rippling, fast became a hurricane, leaping into the heavens like ethereal sculptures, and crashing down just as fast. The trees now swayed, their fragile cargo- already broken and damaged- in peril of death. And I cowered down at the edge of the lake, unable to move, and I clawed at my ears, unable to stop the sounds of the battle around me, drawing closer.
Just as suddenly, I heard another great yell; this time of command. I dared not look up from my leafy bed (or was it a coffin?); I lifted myself just enough to get a clear view of the lake shore next to me. I nearly choked, and began to tremble; tears clouded my eyes. The water, blue then black, was now deep red, dyed the color of blood. My trembling increased, and almost against my will I dragged my eyes upward again. The trees were split, mere splinters and twigs protruding ugly from the ragged earth. Still suspended there by a thread was His vision, but it had been torn apart and partially destroyed; and anguish rocked my soul again. I didn’t understand.
A shadow fell across me, prostrate on the ground. I instantly buried my head in my arms, a deep weariness set upon me; tears on my cheeks, and I waited for a blow that did not come. Instead, I felt arms around me.
Hands pressed against my shoulders, and slowly, as if in my spirit, I felt the command to look up. I sniffled and snorted, paused, and looked up, one last time. What I saw broke me entirely.
His eyes! Fleeting glimpses only I had before; but now I stared into the depths of the ageless one. My heart both swelled and contracted; but only a little painful. For a second I looked only; they were all colors at once, all knowing, all seeing; my mortal heart leapt at the sight, then sank, lifted again, froze, and then burst, all at once. Overwhelmed I looked away, dazed and in awe. Again, the upturned corners of his mouth indicated a smile, before he pulled the hood over his features, and pressed me to Him in a warm hug.
Eventually He pulled away, smiling down at me, and I felt Him call me daughter. I flushed with a flimsy pride, and He laughed, a clear sound in the morning. He rose then, and slowly walked out to water, His feet (bleeding again, I saw) skimming the surface. But now He turned to me, and now His smile was large, spreading across His face and igniting the lake and the trees into a frenzy of healing. He laughed again.
“Take heart, for I have overcome the world,” He reached His hand to me; sticky with blood, but in that moment, I saw more clearly than ever I had before; and I took it. He yanked me to my feet, and began pulling more towards the water.
I felt uneasy for a moment, remembering Peter. He seemed to recognize my unease, and did something between a laugh and a snort. I looked at Him, bewildered. An easy grin was my only answer.
We moved back toward the center of the lake, and together looked up into the web of creation above us. There were gaping holes in some areas; and the paths that had held them together completely severed in others; and still more seemed to be hurting, thousands upon thousands of people. My eyes widened, and my heart blanched, defeated. Tears sprung in my eyes again, so newly dried, but He took my hand, and pointed upwards with a smile that spoke of both sadness and joy.
“Lead them to the lake.”
After Note:
I think God is like a mosaic sometimes. He is the best glass, the best colors, all in one. But he took the hammer to himself, and created a thousand little facets and managed to piece it all back together into one more glorious piece (if you can imagine such a thing- God is pretty awesome all the way around, I think!)
I also think He is similar to a mosaic in that He is a lot of different parts, and has a lot of different sides/colors to Him, but none of them are better/worse/ whatever than the others, just different, and all Good. And using those different pieces, and uses them to shape and cut us by what we would adapt to best.
As such, I am a visual learner. I learn well when I have something to see. And while I appreciate music a lot, sometimes just having a REALLY visual thing in front of me helps me tremendously. That happened in chapel today. (October 15, 2008)
I won’t pretend it was quite this clear when I thought about it during worship in chapel this morning, but I think it was all God. I’ve tried to write it all out as clearly as I can get it, though I don’t know how well I did. I hope you enjoy it anyway, and maybe think a little more today about what He’s done for us. I certainly did!
In Him,
KristaPS: I think it’s safe to say that God could do a heck of a lot bigger show if He wanted to; lake and trees, PFFT. How about the whole universe for a stage? :p Just a tidbit.
