Gloryteller

The second week of Advent is focused on peace.

Waiting becomes slightly more intense as we add the expectancy of
hope and peace in preparation for our Savior’s arrival.
Of course it is a passive intensity of expectation
as we actively wait!

 We light the second candle,
If not on our tables,
Then in our hearts.
And light increases.
It doubles!

We can hardly wait until the full light of His glorious presence shines upon the world, and also upon each of us!

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Jesus is the only One that can bring us to peace with Father God.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all mankind upon which His favor rests!” Luke 2: 13-14

Here’s a song that is full of hope and peace,
And light too!

Come to us, Child of Glory,
We can hardly wait.
Come to us quickly,
Your hands hold our fate.
LS<

A happy and blessed Advent season to you
from your Gloryteller.

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I’m going to begin my Christmas celebration today! Today! Even before Thanksgiving. Even before Advent. Exactly forty days before “the day of Christbirth”. Why? Because I need it!
Every year, on December 26th, I make silent vows that I will keep myself in the heart of Christmas all year. Every day. But the distractions and cares of the world eventually dull my spirit and wear me down, even though I’m getting much better with keeping my silent vows, and my faith is stronger than ever, in many ways.
Yet in many ways, this year seems worse – darker, more fearful, more evil. The Covid 19 pandemic is raging on, even worse lately. The people who think murdering unborn humans is a good thing to do, seem to be winning.
Those who mock Jesus and His followers, seem to be in the majority. They seem to be worshiping with fervent passion all the multitudes of gods that the world provides. Sin and lawlessness abounds. Truth and common sense are increasingly uncommon. It saddens me, and as time passes after the New Year’s celebration, I begin to live more in the world I was born into, the one I can see, than the unseen world I was reborn into. Life in the old world seems to become progressively colder, harsher, darker, more dangerous, lonelier, more broken, more futile, more oppressive and more depressive.

Except . . .

Except that there behind the scene is my faith in The One who defeated all that “old world” trouble. He is never far from me, I only get temporarily distracted. There was a time when I was one of those laughing mockers above, and worshipers of worldly gods. I must remember that. It is an incontrovertible miracle that brought me out of that broken place and into a love of the Central Figure of Christmas.
So, I need myself some Christmas! I need the physical reminders of His spiritual truth. I don’t view physical reminders as a bad thing, for He had a physical presence here, like me. That is one of the facets of His physical incarnation, that He was able to experience the “seen” world with all His human senses, just like we do. He could touch and be touched. He could see and hear, and be seen and heard. He observed all the good and bad, all the pain and suffering, and all the rejoicing and laughter this world had to offer while maintaining constant contact with the “unseen” Father in the Heavenly “world”.
I consider it a good thing that I need the joyous music, the vivid colors, the eye catching illumination, the hope of giving and receiving gifts, the fellowship with family and friends, the excitement of more intense worship, the warmth of the season, the heightened anticipation of the celebration of His coming to be with us in this world! The Christmas/Christbirth season brings with it a different world – one which is a little kinder and more caring, one in which forgiving others is a little easier, one which is metaphorically warmer, where relationships get closer, where there is a bit more gaiety, and cheer, and festivity, even among those who don’t grasp the true meaning of the occasion. It is a world in which Love is easier to experience. The world simply seems a slightly “better” place before Christmas, and I feel like a slightly “better” person. 
For just a few short, breathless weeks, I’m a child again! All the excitement and unbridled joy, all the unexplained hope of a child is mine again. I feel a little more blessed, happier, and more complete. I feel loved, as by my parents, as by my Father, just a little bit more than the rest of the year. Just a little. I need that little bit.
I need my Christmas now!
I’m starting today!
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I keep beginning to write a piece about death, but Life won’t leave me alone . . .

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This will be a flight of fancy, a dive into the obscure. I don’t know exactly why I’m attempting to write this one, but I’ve been working on it for well over a year.
I have doubts that it will even interest you. Furthermore, I don’t even know how I’m going to address this subject, for I will try to take you into places I have not the words to explain. Maybe I will be given the words. Perhaps this is only for my own good, and possibly not even my own. 
“It is a fool’s errand”, I laugh inwardly at myself, “and I don’t perceive myself a fool, evidence to the contrary, yet, here we are.”
However, I’ve found that my doubts are often wrong, and you might find a touch of something familiar in it; something of value. You, yourself might be able to redeem this post by your intelligence and wise contemplation, kind reader! Give it a shot. If you have to quit, or skip to the ending, I thank you for trying.

 ~   ~   ~

Okay . . . I was watching one of my all-time-favorite movies, a Christmas-oriented animated film, for the umpteenth time last December and I noticed something strange part way through: Every time I watch it, new facets of ever deeper figurative meaning stand out for me. I realized that I instinctively seek what I call The Deeper Meaning! TDM (It deserves an acronym, right?) is a term which, as I will try to show, has itself a much deeper meaning than appears on the surface. “It’s a talent, I’m good at this,” I thought, “but, no, it is more of a gift I’ve been given.”
But how can I share this “gift” for the benefit of others? What good is it if I can’t? Of what benefit is this The Deeper Meaning? Is it only for my good alone? It seems as though that might be the case right this moment. But I hope I can bring this forth for the good of others, too. (No, I don’t think I’m the only one with this talent, this gift. I’m certain many have it! I also realize it could be different in degree and substance for everyone.)

The Catalyst

You’re going to laugh, but the movie I was watching was The Polar Express (TPE – another well deserved acronym!), a film that is loaded with symbolism. Have you seen it? It purports to teach “the real meaning of Christmas”, but barely skims the real truth of that subject. The Real Truth is there, hidden, intentionally or not, deep in metaphor and simile. 

William Broyles Jr., one of the film’s screenwriters along with Robert Zemeckis, hints that the Real Truth is there in the film by intention. He notes: “We all go through that passage… to that world of adulthood where that magic and wonder is gone — or maybe deeply buried. As we enter the Christmas season, this is a good time to rekindle a sense of wonder and awe of our Creator and Savior. The Polar Express is a great holiday film with a story even the youngest child can understand — and a profound message about faith and belief that no adult can miss.”  (I added the emphases)

However, a viewer needs some previous knowledge of that Truth, of that wondrous Christmas story, then one needs to dig into the film to expose it. A few years ago, I drafted a post about the symbolism in The Polar Express, but didn’t post it because I found that there had already been volumes written about it. I just didn’t want to join the Department of Redundancy Department. 

So, you’re wondering “why do I like that movie so much?”
“For several reasons, and for reasons beyond reason,” I reply. Back in early December, 2004, I reached my pivotal day: The Day-I-First-Believed! Suddenly, my life, my world, my belief-system took on a much deeper, more profound meaning! Maybe you have experienced that life-changer. If not, you can at least imagine the elation and rejoicing that takes place in that moment of saving transformation ( All the angels in Heaven immediately rejoiced for me. That’s scriptural truth! ).

Back to the point, it was no more than a week later that I volunteered to chaperone my young son’s class field trip to see the new Christmas movie coming out. It was one of the first screenings of The Polar Express! His mom and I had read the book version to him,  so I had a basic idea of what the movie would entail, and not only that, but my son and I were steam-locomotive buffs and the big 2-8-4 Berkshire type steam engine (Know-It-All-Kid in the film calls it a Baldwin type for some reason) became one of the main characters for us. Anyway, the movie was far, far, beyond the book! As a brand-new believer, my head was still spinning anyway. I was astonished! For example, a short way into the movie, the Conductor tells “Doubting Boy”: “Sounds to me like this is your crucial year. If I were you, I would think about climbing on board (the train of faith)!” Similar thoughts of a spiritual nature had been racing and swirling through my mind only few weeks before! And, as I watched, spellbound, I realized that the real meaning of the movie was actually not about belief and faith in Santa Claus, a.k.a. The Big Man, but belief in Jesus Christ, the real Big Man, and faith in Father God. That, combined with the fact that, in my childhood, I actually heard Santa’s sleigh bells on the roof late in the night one glorious Christmas eve, (don’t scoff, I really did, I’m absolutely certain!) it’s no wonder watching TPE two or more times a season has become a delightful tradition for me. Like the main character in the movie, I still hear the Bell of Belief ringing clearly, in all its figurative senses.

But, despite the whole prologue above, The Polar Express isn’t the central subject of this writing, it’s only the catalyst.

TDE Illuminated

Watching TPE was only where I first had an embryonic realization that the gift of The Deeper Meaning was present. Other examples of that realization, awareness, and discovery, come to mind:  movie plots that are interesting on the surface, but compellingly profound underneath, or, where love wins out against “impossible” odds; music that carries one beyond where you are, (for me, there is nothing quite as transcendent as a large choir backed by an immense pipe organ); natural mountain scenery so lovely as to make the heart beat quicker, yet being the mere covering of a splendor lying unseen to the eye, yet visible to the spirit; poetry, stories, and books that are enthralling, transporting one away from this world; a symphony orchestra playing a timeless classic; art which evokes invisible, yet powerful, emotion; a relationship which transcends all expectations;  building, crafting, or creating something beyond what you thought you were capable. That is Deep Meaning, and Deeper Still . . . can you think of some special things that take you to the Deeper?

I have written, or tried to write, of such things before, (The Reflection, for example) and here is the thing, here is the point that is so very difficult to make using mere words: The Deeper Meaning is more than merely looking deeper into figurative speech, metaphor, or simile. It is deeper than the elation of hearing soaring sopranos and booming pipes. I must tell you The Deeper Meaning is not the end result, it is only the beginning! It should lead even deeper into the hard-to-fathom Deepest! And that is where it leads me, even though I don’t think I have ever quite gotten all the way there yet. (I will, though, yes, I will!)

In everything I write, or make, or build, there is a deeper meaning. I try to put it there intentionally. That is my way as a creator. Few people see that there is something else/something more there, but I’m always gratefully amazed when a reader does. And so it is, I believe, with Creator God.

Further Illumination of TDM,
Which Is Meant To, Itself, Be Illumination,
Through Words, Ideas, and Examples:

I want desperately to get my meaning across, to illuminate The Deeper Meaning, but mere words can’t seem to express that, or else it is merely my poor command of them, but here are some words and ideas He gave me that might help :

The  Deeper Meaning is: 

Profound!
Joyfully received
Innermost, intimate revelation.
Personal and private (to share sometime later, maybe)
Non Superficial
Intensely heartfelt
Perception of the Soul
Emotionally astounding

Profound immersion in that which is:
Concealed
Secret
Hidden
Veiled

Often mysterious,
Esoteric
Obscure
Complex
Weighty
Enigmatic
Incomprehensible
Inexplicable
Perplexing sometimes
Abstruse (difficult to understand)

In addition, I think The Deeper Meaning is:

Transcendental – spiritual, of the nonphysical realm
Abstract – existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence.
Unprovable – unable to be demonstrated by physical evidence or argument as true or existing, yet known to be true in your spirit!
An undefinable quality, or a state of being.
This quality, this “state of existence” was always there, but now I have a name for it – The Deeper Meaning – finding the true nature of this sense of wonder.

Here’s the thing, and by that I mean here’s another point:Something has been created, something made, and it contains The Deeper Meaning. That Meaning could have been incorporated intentionally, or it may be present intrinsically, hidden inside the complexity of something’s own existence.

Mystery is also akin to “magic”, and, as scientists have pointed out again and again, the universe is a mysterious place that goes far beyond our capacity to understand it. The universe is filled with “magic”. How much more “magical”, then, is the unseen spiritual world? Belief itself is mysterious, in my book. The One in Whom I believe is the “embodiment” of “magic” and mystery, wonder, romance, and love, Himself!

Catholic theologian Leonardo Buff has put it: “We never ‘catch up with’ reality itself. The real nature of mystery always evades our attempts to conceptualize it, and escapes the nets of our language and symbolism. Its depths are never plumbed. Mystery is always linked to passion, enthusiasm and all great emotions, in short, to life’s deepest and greatest impulses.” TDM dives into this mystery to embrace it, to learn it, and to know it.

Finally, As We All Breathe A Sigh Of Relief:

I have had doubts about this; there have been roadblocks and loads of distractions. Yet, I have felt urgency bolstered by the encouragement of one dear soul – only one! And of course that of the HS who has never left me alone about this task. He wants it, for some reason, and that’s good enough for me! I have faith, and believe it will be fruitful and this basket I hold out will not return empty.

As for you, if you have “made it” this far, dear reader, of having to redeem this post, I release you! You can take part in that if you like, but The Real Big Man has already done it, as He promised me long ago.

I wanted to shine a headlight on a film that gives me joy – my Polar Express, catalyst for a reaction of such depth. And, like the sleigh bell in the film, representing the “first gift of Christmas” and symbol of the  true spirit of Christmas, the gift of The Deeper Meaning is much more than just an idea. When looked at through the eyes of a joyful heart, a heart of love, it becomes an instrument, like a bell, confirming the beauty of belief. Like boarding the imaginary train that travels to the North Pole, belief and faith can’t be forced, but the environment for encouraging “getting aboard” can be enhanced and lovingly set in place. I “got aboard”, and I still hear the cheerful ringing of the little bell of faith, belief and wonder, and I always will! It is, indeed, quite magical!

Here, I have described some things of deep importance to me. I told of how I came to recognize it, what I think it is and does, something of how it works, where it can be found, how it is useful, where it can ultimately lead one, and the unending, precious benefits of pursuing it. The Deeper Meaning! I want to bask in it, let it pour over me, roll in it, dive into it, let its current take me and wash me into the Deepest of All Meaning!
I would like to, somehow, stimulate the desire in you to look for it too – if you don’t already have it (chances are you do). When you decide to take that journey into The Deeper Meaning, keep right on going and it will eventually lead you into the Deepest of All Meanings – To The True Nature of, the divine substance of, the essence of the Maker and Source of all Meaning, The Very Center of Creation, and to the very Heart of God, Himself.

And Merry Christmas in July!
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I recently wrote about dust and mortality, and a spirit which persists, and endures, and is treasured by God. That short piece can be found here.
There is another thing of ours which persists eternally, endures the ravages of time and death, and is treasured by God.

That thing is prayer!

Our prayers are so important to Him, so precious, each one that is sincere and spotless in intention, ( I don’t know what to say about prayers that ask harm to others) that He has assigned a special angel to their care alone. (See Revelation 8: 1-5) (See also Psalm 141:2, which is very similar)
In the center of Heaven, in His throne room, where all plans for Heaven and earth are made, in the center of all power and glory, that angel is charged with constantly offering up to God the prayers of God’s people.
The prayers lie on a golden altar before His unimaginably astounding throne, obviously a sacred place reserved for precious treasure! Those prayers are raised up before God, cupped in the angel’s hands, mingled together with the sweet aroma of incense.
I picture countless precious, metallic-like leaves which are unpacked from the golden altar and handled one-by-one by the angelic High Keeper of Prayers, ( this notion is my own and it is extra-Biblical, so if it is of no help to you, please disregard it )
and I’ve no doubt that each one of those communications is seen and heard by The Lord God individually, and is instantly committed to His perfect memory where it will be integrated into His Plan. I imagine that the whole process happens so quickly that there is no lag time at all between the utterance or sending up of the prayer and His hearing and seeing of it.
In His hands, prayers take on solidity; a life of their own.They endure and live on, although those who sent them up may be long-departed. I believe each prayer is eternal, therefore having no half-life but being full of life! They might be thought of as the nuclear fuel of His plan, although, unlike nuclear fuel, they never degrade and they persist forever!
It’s difficult for us to grasp the concept of “forever”. It’s very difficult to grasp that God created time and can live inside time and outside of time all at “one time”! I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure He can view all of time at the same time! He can place Himself at a point in the past and start things in motion that will be an answer to a prayer I pray today. He can, I think, integrate all the prayers that were ever prayed, and will be prayed, and somehow make them result in ultimate, glorious Good.
Prayer is, in a sense, “talking to God”, speaking with your creator to thank Him, to praise Him, to ask for help, to simply ask why?, or will You?, or what shall I do?. I have to think that every word we say to Him is important to Him. I have to think He remembers every word. He must! Even the angry words, the harsh, the foolish, the hurtful, and the factual; the righteous words, and the sinful. It’s all part of the relationship, I think.
In a relationship we remember most things that have been said.
My cousin coined a word – revelationship! That’s a great word which kind of ties this whole piece together.
I just wanted to express the eternal persistence of our prayers.
I wanted to show that they are precious to God; treasured by Him, a sweet fragrance, as illustrated by the picture in Revelation of a special ritual involving an important angel, our Lord God, King of Heaven and Earth, and the prayers of His people. It is a very important scene which is evidence and confirmation that praying is of prime importance! No wonder we are told to pray constantly . . . about everything!

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