[open my lips that my mouth may declare your praise]

"God is the ocean and we are the waves. In some sense each wave has its moment in which it is distinguishable as a somewhat seperate entity. Nevertheless, now wave is enitrely distinct from the ocean which is substantial ground. The waves are surface manifestations of the ocean. Our knowledge of the ocean is largely dependent on the way it manifests itself in the waves."

-Richard Rubenstein

Honor. Glory.

He was rejected by his nation, his hometown, his friends.

He was tempted by Satan.

He was ridiculed because of his hometown and his background.

He was accused of being demon possessed.

He was threatened by Herod (the ruler of the Judea), his hometown, the Jews, by the devil.

He was homeless.

He was betrayed by a follower and companion.

He was denied by his friend.

He was misunderstood by his disciples.

HE WAS FORSAKEN BY ALL.

He was misquoted.

He was tried ILLEGALLY seven times.

He was indicted by false charges.

He was mocked by Roman soldiers, by the watching crowd, by the chief priests.

He was tortured, slapped, blindfolded, spit upon, beaten, scourged, pierced with thorns, and hit over the head.

He was crucified.

The most comforting thing I've found in the incarnation is this: that God came into the world so that he could scream alongside with us.

We find honor in sharing the sufferings of the Christ.

We find Glory awaiting for us.

Yet we must expect nothing in something.

Present History

Each passing moment turns to history.

These moments that fall into a domino effect of events determines not only our own present situation but those of many others. We are held in responsibility for the stewardship of our time.

I was looking at the life of Jacob.

Jacob whenever he chose to be the deceiver changed his life farther and farther away from the place where God wanted him to be.

He eventually ended up running away from his Father, Brother, and even his Mother.

Leaving his entire past behind to pursue his own future, alone. He ended sleeping on a rock have an incredible dream of a ladder.

Woke up, realized God had been there all along and he decided to run away from God too.

His history determined his present to only know to run.

He didn't realize that these moments were history not just some ordinary moments that walk by slow enough to peer into and evaluate.

He was to be equivalent to his father and even his grandfather.

He was to carry the covenant and through him, all the nations would be blessed.

He kept running away from history.

We know that later, as a man, he came back and re-entered history. It took some effort wrestling with an "angel" can be tough, but he eventually would take his vacant seat as Israel.

It was a journey, but through that, History endured and how blessed we all are because of this.

Everything we do matters. Either human actions are connected to what happens in the universe, or they are not. And if everything is connected to everything else, then sooner or later everything matters; everything is potentially historic.

So I pray to learn that history is active in my life and all others. That I would realize that God is in this place, so I may know it. That he is active, constant, and loving.