Monday, August 12, 2024
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
Ezekiel saw the wheel
Praise the Lord from the heavens
Praise him in the heights
Praise him all you his angels
Praise him all you his hosts!
During the closing artistic musical of the Olympics, a golden voyager and his archaeologists gathered up the remnants of civilization and sought to rediscover the Olympic rings, in order to rekindle the Olympic spirit for a new day.
They found the rings. As they turned them right-side up and vertical, an operatic voice in black sang with a voice, draped with old grief but rising too in newfound joy.
Praise the name of the Lord
For his name alone is exalted.
His majesty is above earth and heaven
Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.
Ezekiel began his tale with a host of historical and geographic details, and dates measured to the day.
On the fifth day of the fourth month of the fifth year, that is of King Jehoiachin’s exile, the word of the Lord came to priest Ezekiel, son of Buzi, there in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar. There and then, the hand of the Lord came upon me.
The Olympian actors slowly lifted five resurrected Olympic rings into place, while smoke rolled in and the descending darkness fell away under piercing white lights. Choirs on every side rejoiced. The golden voyager rose up and light poured down into the open air stadium. Fireworks on every side.
As Ezekiel turned and saw, a stormwind came from the North, a huge cloud filled with flashing fire. The center gleamed like glowing metal, and within the fire four figures, resembling men, stood up high. I heard the sound of their wings like the roaring of mighty waters. Like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army.
Men with wings and four faces? Yes, men with their own faces, and the faces of lions, and of oxen, and of eagles. And, in the far distance, old bones a-walkin!
As I looked I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. The wheels sparkled like topaz. Each wheel intersected another wheel, and they could go in every direction at once. All four rims were full of eyes all around.
Olympic crowds sang along with Phoenix and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Fireworks and smoke, blue lights and red pierced the growing darkness, and Paris fell into night. Dancing took over, and the place was jumping. Even the gymnasts mostly kept their feet. High above them the five Olympic wheels rotated through the sky.
The wheels rose when the creatures rose, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. A vault sparking like crystal, spread out above their heads. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around them.
Everywhere, laughter and tears, because today everyone will be leavin’ on a jet plane.
I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
O babe, I hate to go.
God has called you through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Where you lead me, I will follow.
(Ezekiel 1, Psalm 148, 2 Thessalonians 2, Matthew 17)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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