I skipped the salsa social night last night to attend a special vespers/youth meeting given by all 3 NZ clergy. Basically topic was on being the “light of the world” this topic, in combination with a recent comment I made on a friend’s photo of the moon and reading snippets from John Elderedge’s books “captivating” and “the sacred romance” had be thinking about Beauty and Reflected Glory.
The following is a random collection of these thoughts
I love that in most eastern cultures refer to beautiful women as the moon, it fits in so well with where a person’s true beauty lies. The moon in and of itself is dark, barren, incapable of providing any light in and of itself, it has no inherent beauty, but it is designed to be not only beautiful but breathtakingly glorious in its beauty. The moon reflects the power and the glory of the sun, allowing everyone who could never look directly at the sun to bask in its light. It is through the sun’s light that the moon is given its beauty. I found it interesting that when the world (earth) gets between the moon and the sun you get a lunar eclipse, the beauty of the moon is darkened.
Looking at my friends picture it struck me how much I love looking at full moon, how much I long to reveal that measure of beauty. Isn’t that ultimately what all girls look for, to be thought of as beautiful, perfect, without blemish?? Isn’t that why the cosmetics industry is so successful?? And isn’t that what God provides? He takes us, who after the fall are barren, whose beauty is marred, disfigured by sin (notice that the surface of the moon is not smooth, but full of craters, scarred but it’s barrenness) and through his light gives us beauty, brings out our essence, what we were created for, to SHINE, to have the world stop in awe of the beauty we are given through reflecting the glory of God. He takes us, who like Cinderella were covered in the filth and muck of cinders and ashes, a result of a life led serving evil, a life in bondage to evil (they weren’t the evil step sisters for nothing)and offers us a different life, presents us to himself, glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Eph 5:27,
Ezekiel 16 explains it perfectly On the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare. “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord GOD. “Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the Lord GOD.
My beauty can only come through being bestowed, isn’t that what every female jumping from relationship to relationship is after, someone to bestow her beauty to her? To make her feel desired, to feel like royalty? To bad we all go on to do what the woman in this passage does (read the rest of Ezekiel 16 to understand)
I’m going to continue looking at the moon, hoping that my Beloved bestows the same glorious beauty to me that my reflection of his glory fits his description of “my love my dove my perfect one” that on the wedding feast of the lamb my beauty may be “perfect through His splendor” that my adornments that he adorns me with are still intact that my clothing of fine silk and embroidered cloth (reminds me of my saris) have not been dirtied and stained. That I haven’t let the world come between me and the Sun of Righteousness so that like the lunar eclipse I am darkened and invisible, but rather that I have turned my face completely to him that I may be like the full moon, bathed in His light and captivatingly beautiful.
For anyone reading this the books to read are “captivating”, “sacred romance” by john elderedge. And the books of the bible “jer 2, ezk 16, hos 2 and of course song of Solomon.
Here’s the picture my friend took BTW (posted with permission)
The following is a random collection of these thoughts
I love that in most eastern cultures refer to beautiful women as the moon, it fits in so well with where a person’s true beauty lies. The moon in and of itself is dark, barren, incapable of providing any light in and of itself, it has no inherent beauty, but it is designed to be not only beautiful but breathtakingly glorious in its beauty. The moon reflects the power and the glory of the sun, allowing everyone who could never look directly at the sun to bask in its light. It is through the sun’s light that the moon is given its beauty. I found it interesting that when the world (earth) gets between the moon and the sun you get a lunar eclipse, the beauty of the moon is darkened.
Looking at my friends picture it struck me how much I love looking at full moon, how much I long to reveal that measure of beauty. Isn’t that ultimately what all girls look for, to be thought of as beautiful, perfect, without blemish?? Isn’t that why the cosmetics industry is so successful?? And isn’t that what God provides? He takes us, who after the fall are barren, whose beauty is marred, disfigured by sin (notice that the surface of the moon is not smooth, but full of craters, scarred but it’s barrenness) and through his light gives us beauty, brings out our essence, what we were created for, to SHINE, to have the world stop in awe of the beauty we are given through reflecting the glory of God. He takes us, who like Cinderella were covered in the filth and muck of cinders and ashes, a result of a life led serving evil, a life in bondage to evil (they weren’t the evil step sisters for nothing)and offers us a different life, presents us to himself, glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Eph 5:27,
Ezekiel 16 explains it perfectly On the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare. “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord GOD. “Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the Lord GOD.
My beauty can only come through being bestowed, isn’t that what every female jumping from relationship to relationship is after, someone to bestow her beauty to her? To make her feel desired, to feel like royalty? To bad we all go on to do what the woman in this passage does (read the rest of Ezekiel 16 to understand)
I’m going to continue looking at the moon, hoping that my Beloved bestows the same glorious beauty to me that my reflection of his glory fits his description of “my love my dove my perfect one” that on the wedding feast of the lamb my beauty may be “perfect through His splendor” that my adornments that he adorns me with are still intact that my clothing of fine silk and embroidered cloth (reminds me of my saris) have not been dirtied and stained. That I haven’t let the world come between me and the Sun of Righteousness so that like the lunar eclipse I am darkened and invisible, but rather that I have turned my face completely to him that I may be like the full moon, bathed in His light and captivatingly beautiful.
For anyone reading this the books to read are “captivating”, “sacred romance” by john elderedge. And the books of the bible “jer 2, ezk 16, hos 2 and of course song of Solomon.
Here’s the picture my friend took BTW (posted with permission)
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