The books have been read. The time set aside for rest and reflection has been well-spent. And our family is so looking forward to returning to Renton Bible tomorrow morning to join our church family in worship. This, then, is my final sabbatical blog.
I have reflected on a handful of the 26 books I have read over the course of these eight blogs. I thought it appropriate, however, to consider John Piper's Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ in this final blog, not only because many at Renton Bible were reading this book with me, but because this book's focus was at the heart of my sabbatical.
In the first chapter, entitled, "Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God: The Ultimate Aim of Jesus Christ," Piper powerfully asserts that Christ's ultimate aim revolves around enabling us to embrace the reality of the glory of God. He supports this thought with a quote from Christ's beautiful prayer on our behalf, "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world" John 17:24. Piper asserts that at the heart of Christ's incarnation is His desire for you and me to embrace the glory of God as our life purpose. Which leads me to the following great passage found in the first chapter:
The point is this: We were made to know and treasure the glory of God above all things; and when we trade that treasure for images, everything is disordered. The Sun of God's glory was made to shine at the center of the solar system of our soul. And when it does, all the planets of our life are held in their proper orbit. But when the sun is displaced, everything flies apart. The healing of the soul begins by restoring the glory of God to its flaming, all-attracting place at the center.
Though I did not understand it at the beginning of this sabbatical, it is now plain to me that at the heart of God's purpose in this time of rest and reflection was that I might re-center "the glory of God to its flaming, all attracting place" in my life.
The truth is that so much of our world militates against keeping God's glory in the center. We are so easily distracted by the busyness of this world. However, in response to our need, the world tells us to go deeper inside of ourselves. But as Piper goes on to say, the notion that the answers will be found "in self" is ludicrous:
We are all starved for the glory of God, not self. No one goes to the Grand Canyon to increase self-esteem. Why do we go? Because there is greater healing for the soul in beholding splendor than there is in beholding self. Indeed, what could be more ludicrous in a vast and glorious universe like this than a human being, on the speck called earth, standing in front of a mirror trying to find significance in his own self-image? It is a great sadness that this is the gospel of the modern world.
For my sabbatical, it was not the Grand Canyon, but Yosemite Valley. Nonetheless, the point is still the same. Beholding the splendor of God's creation moves me not to contemplate self, but to embrace the greatness of the glory of the Creator. And what people need today is not a greater focus on self, but a greater embrace of the glory of our God. And, beyond the shadow of a doubt, it is this "greater embrace" which is one of the most powerful outcomes of this sabbatical. I look forward to picking up this very theme as I return to the pulpit on Sunday, August 22nd.
At the conclusion of this sabbatical I feel compelled to say thank you to Renton Bible Church for allowing me the privilege of this time for sabbath rest. And I give thanks, most of all, to our God for leading me to this sabbatical and for using it for my renewal both as a disciple of Jesus Christ and as a minister of His Gospel.
Gratefully, Pastor Dan