Isaiah 40:22 DOES GOD NEED A CHAMPION



 

 

DOES GOD NEED A CHAMPION

 

IN AUSCHWITZ

THEY PUT GOD ON TRIAL

FOR BEING SILENT

 

THEY FOUND HIM

 

GUILTY

 

I WAS AGHAST

FEARED LIGHTNING

 

BUT THEN LIGHTNING

WOULD BE A PLEASANT INTERLUDE

FROM

GASSING AND STARVATION

 

MAYBE IT WAS THE HUNGER

 

BUT I HEARD A VOICE

 

I DON’T NEED A CHAMPION

 

I HAVE GIVEN YOU THE WORLD

TO DO WITH AS YOU WILL

 

KEEP THE LAWN MOWED

OR

LET THE WEEDS GROW

 

 

I DO NOT PERMIT EVIL

 

EVIL

IS THE ABSENCE OF ME

 

DO NOT BLAME ME

FOR THE WEEDS

YOU HAVE LET GROW

 

IF I CAME AGAIN

YOU’D KILL ME AGAIN

 

IT IS TIME

TO TEND YOUR GARDEN

 

FRANK A VOLLMER

(Romans 2:15) CAT

 

 

CAT

 

WE HAVE A CAT

WHO CAME TO US

AS A STRAY KITTEN

AT CHRISTMAS TIME

 

PROBABLY

A YULE TIME PRESENT ESCAPEE

OUT THE DOOR AND LOST

 

WE TRIED TO FIND THE OWNER

NO RESULT

WE CALLED THE SHELTER

 

THEY SAID THEY HAD SO MANY CATS

THEY WERE EUTHANIZING THE SURPLUS

 

BY THAT TIME

SHE HAD WORMED HER WAY

INTO OUR HEART

AND STAYED

 

I MARVELED

THAT SO YOUNG A CAT

WITH NO MOTHER

WOULD DO CAT THINGS

 

LIKE DOING OBEISANCE

TO THE OLDER CAT

WAITING UNTIL IT WAS FED

BEFORE EATING

 

TEASING THE DOG

 BY BATTING HIM

THEN RUNNING AWAY

 

CHASING FLIES

CATNIP MICE

TELLING OUTDOOR CATS

THIS WAS HER DOMAIN

 

I KNOW IT WAS INSTINCT

BUT STILL IT WAS MARVELOUS

TO SEE

 

 

THE CHURCH IN ROMANS

SAYS

(Romans 2:15)

 

(WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES

IS WRITTEN ON THEIR HEARTS,

 WHILE THEIR CONSCIENCE

ALSO BEARS WITNESS

AND THEIR CONFLICTING THOUGHTS

ACCUSE OR PERHAPS EXCUSE THEM)

 

WHAT THE CAT DOES INSTINCTIVELY

MAN MUST DO BY DECISION

 

TO DO IT LIKE THE CAT

WOULD TO BE LIKE A ROBOT

 

TO BURY YOURSELF IN JESUS

IS NOT TO BE AN AUTOMATON

BUT TO ACT AND DO

WHAT WE KNOW IS RIGHT

 

TO DO OTHERWISE

IS TO DENY HIS INDWELLING

 

WHAT IS WRITTEN ON OUR HEARTS

 

I TRIED VERY HARD

TO NOT GET TOO FOND OF HER

 

BUT

THERE IS SOMEONE KNOCKING

AT THE DOOR

 

I DON'T WANT TO GET UP

SHE’S ASLEEP IN MY LAP

 

 

FRANK A VOLLMER

(MATTHEW 5:23-24) WHEN YOU COME TO THE ALTAR

 

 

 

 

WHEN YOU COME TO THE ALTAR

HOW MANY TIMES
HAVE WE COME TO THE ALTAR

AND NOT CALLED TO MIND
THE ADMONITION

IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING
AGAINST YOUR BROTHER OR SISTER
GO FIRST TO THEM
AND SETTLE IT

THEN COME TO ME

YOU HAVE ASKED FORGIVENESS
BUT WOULD NOT GRANT IT

WOULD YOU LIKE
YOU
AS YOUR GOD
NOT ME

WOULD YOU DO BETTER
WOULD ANYONE SERVE YOU
WILLINGLY

YOU COME TO THE ALTAR
WITHOUT THOUGHT
AND THE BREAD
TASTES DRY
ON YOUR TONGUE

BUT COME WITH A FORGIVING HEART

THE LORD WILL FILL YOUR HEART WITH SWEETNESS

 

 

FRANK A VOLLMER


SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

 

 

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

 

WE LEARNED TWO WORDS

IN SUNDAY SCHOOL

TODAY

 

CATAPHATIC

 

WHICH LITERALLY MEAN

CATA = DESCEND

FEMI = TO SPEAK

 

IN LAYMEN’S LANGUAGE IT MEANS

TO BRING GOD DOWN

 IN SUCH A WAY

SO AS TO SPEAK OF HIM

 

AND

APOPHATIC

 

.WHICH LITERALLY MEANS

APO = NOT

FEMI = TO SPEAK      

IN LAYMEN’S LANGUAGE IT MEANS

. TO SAY NO

 

THESE POSITIONS WERE FIRST PUT FORWARD

BY

PSEUDO-DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE

 

WHO LIVED ABOUT 550 AD

IN HIS BOOK

ON THE DIVINE NAMES

 

CHURCHES WHICH ARE CLEAR

OF ANY RITUAL OR SYMBOLS

ARE CLOSE TO THE CATAPHATIC OUTLOOK

WHILE CHURCHES WHICH LEAN

TOWARD SYMBOLS OR RITUALS

ARE MORE APOPHATIC

 

BECAUSE SO MANY CHURCHES

HAVE AMALGAMATED THEIR BELIEFS

THERE OFTEN IS NO CLEAR DISTINCTION

AS TO WHICH SCHOOL THEY FOLLOW

 

SOME SPIRITUAL TEACHERS

ADVISE

TO FOLLOW A MIDDLE PATH

BETWEEN THESE TWO CONCEPTS

 

LIKE ODYSSEUS

BETWEEN CHARYBDIS AND SCYLLA

 

OTHERS

INCLUDING THE EASTERN CHURCH

THERE  SHOULD BE A DIAGONAL PATH

BETWEEN THE TWO CONCEPTS

 

STARTING FROM THE CONCRETE

TO THE INEFFABLE

 

WHICH POINT I AM TRYING TO REACH

 

AS I HAVE SAID

IN MY POEM

 

SURFBIRD

.

 

THE SEA CAME IN THE LITTLE BIRD RAN

AND FOLLOWED THE SEA BACK OUT

THEN RAN FROM THE SEA AND FOLLOWED IT OUT

DANCING THE DAY IN TIME TO THE SEA

PLAYING FOR FOOD

 

I WONDER IF IT FEARS THE SEA

LIKE I DO GOD

PLAYING THE EDGES OF HIS LOVE

OR MY LOVE REALLY AS IT EBBS AND FLOWS

RUNNING WHEN THE WAVE COMES STRONG

SEABIRDS ON DELICATE FEET

RUNNING FROM THE WATER

 

SOMEDAY HOPEFULLY UNAWARE

THE SEA WILL OVERWHELM ME

SWEEPING ME OUT TO THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA

TO BE ONE WITH THE MOTION THE SURGE OF THE SEA

TO BE THE SEA

 

TO PLAY WITH THE BIRDS AT THE WATER'S EDGE

TO FEED THEM

AND CALL THEM TO THE DANCE

 

 

FRANK A VOLLMER

 

 

 

                              

 

 

Cataphatic (sometimes spelled kataphatic) theology is the expressing of God or the divine through positive terminology. This is in contrast to defining God or the divine in what God is not, which is referred to as negative or apophatic theology. The word cataphatic itself is formed from two Greek words, "cata" meaning to descend and "femi" meaning to speak. Thus, to combine them translates the word roughly as "to bring God down in such a way so as to speak of him

 

Apophatic theology (from Ancient Greek: ἀπόφασις, from ἀπόφημι – apophēmi, "to deny")—also known as negative theology, via negativa or via negationis^[1] (Latin for "negative way" or "by way of denial")—is a theology that attempts to describe God, the Divine Good, by negation, to speak only in terms of what may not be said about the perfect goodness that is God.^[2] It stands in contrast with cataphatic theology.

A startling example can be found with theologian John Scotus Erigena (9th century): "We do not know what God is. God Himself does not know what He is because He is not anything. Literally God is not, because He transcends being."