Comments on: Disturbing the Universe

By: Berwyn

Berwyn — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:58:47 +0000

I love the sense of awe and wonder you convey. We would do well to cultivate a sense of awe for God and his creation every day.

For instance, I marvel not only at the Incarnation, but that as a babe, Jesus entrusted his care to teenage parents! Dirt-poor. Just the three of them. Fleeing from danger. Refugees in a foreign land. This is how our Lord came to us.

Thank you, Philip.

By: Philip Yancey

Philip Yancey — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 16:12:16 +0000

In reply to Keith Akins. Good, I look forward to seeing the draft! I presume you explore John Duns Scotus, a most original thinker on this subject. --Philip

By: Keith Akins

Keith Akins — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 06:58:40 +0000

Thank you for your comments.

So much of even the best academic theological inquiry tries to answer, “What was the Incarnation for” , by pointing out the (genuine) benefits to the human race … “What’s in it for us?” I like that you inquire what might have been in Creation and the Incarnation that was for God’s own purposes including but in addition to our own salvation. There are, for example, clues in passages that indicate Jesus came as a sign to the “principalities and powers” that imply that the Incarnation was much more than a clever logistical gambit to get an adequately spotless Lamb onto the world scene.

I explore these ideas more fully in my upcoming, long-in-process book, “Why God Joined the Human Race” and would be glad to share a draft for your comment when it is ready.

Grace and Peace be with you!

By: Philip Yancey

Philip Yancey — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 05:29:55 +0000

In reply to Sr. Sandra Sears CSBC. Very nice. I once heard the Incarnation described as "fireworks in reverse": glorious light condensed into an ordinary paper package.

By: Sr. Sandra Sears CSBC

Sr. Sandra Sears CSBC — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 01:36:38 +0000

Hi Philip. Thank you for your message. I’ve been dwelling for a long time on the effect that a baby can have on us, in contrast to imposition of power play. That vulnerability speaks to our own, and I find that that’s the most compelling thing about the Christmas story. So here’s a poem called ‘Unprepared’.
We prepared for your coming,
with fireworks – a veritable
sky-show –
military brass bands befitting a
king and mighty warrior,
a podium festooned with
bunting,
and well rehearsed speeches.
But our fireworks were
reduced to a single star
and a flickering lamp
throwing up beastly shadows
on a stable wall,
and our fanfares drowned out by the cries of a young woman,
a child giving birth to a child,
bunting stripped away in preference for straw,
and dignitaries upstaged by a motley crew of sheep herders;
And our speeches?
Our fine, eloquent speeches reduced to “Oohs,” and “Aahs. “
And somewhere in our silly, soppy defencelessness
you made yourself at home.
Sr. Sandra Sears CSBC 2010

By: Gretchen Wollert

Gretchen Wollert — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 23:03:34 +0000

Thankyou! You remain my favorite author as no one else I have read imbeds so much thought and wisdom into such honest expressions and images of God. And that is truly beautiful!

By: suleman john

suleman john — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 07:29:05 +0000

“Christmas turns the tables and hints at the struggle involved when the Lord of both worlds descends to live by the rules of the one.”

This gave me goosebumps. Thank so much, as always, for writing sir Philip Yancy. Love from Pakistan. Merry Christmas!

By: Laurie A Tuholski

Laurie A Tuholski — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 14:18:37 +0000

Such a mix of pain and joy at Christmastime for me, like no other. I myself have not had any tragic losses at Christmastime, but I have had much tragedy and loss in my life. I had it almost ‘perfect’ as far as my dream of a family around the Christmas tree, and then lost it, when I lost my husband to mental illness and alcoholism. I am now a single mother raising two children of my own, in the way life is ‘not supposed to be’ like so many others out there. But it is a good life, a blessed life now. I have two healthy happy children, supportive extended family who live nearby, I own my own home and have a rewarding career. I have friends that I treasure, even a boyfriend who is also a single parent and understands some of my struggle. And yet, at Christmastime and other “family” rich times, I find myself entering a small “pity party” that is all my own. I find myself rejoicing, and the next moment, weeping with heartache for the picture I so wanted and don’t understand why God allowed to be taken from me. Over 3 years later being on my own and I still grieve I suppose. The interesting part is, when I was living in the midst of one crises after another, I turned to God and found the joy. Now that life is manageable, and rich with blessings, I can’t see it–the joy of Christ. I can’t feel it. I go to church (even when virtual), I have been reading my daily verses and trying to connect in a little prayer, and yet, struggle to re-connect. I just read from the 2003 version of “God’s Celebrating Grace — 365 Day Brighteners” (which I have owned and read from for years) and an exerpt from Philip Yancey for Dec 28th–one I’m sure I’ve seen before but never really “read” before–spoke to me. It asked the questions I didn’t know I had. It brought me to immediately google, hungry for more answers. And I read the Christmas day post, which I connected to immediately (that and the poem “Bells Across the Snow” by Frances Ridley Havergal which I read yesterday). Thank you to you, Philip. Thank you for your bravery to ask the questions aloud, and share the good news to the world. I am just now reading some of your work and may I find the answers, or at least “feel” the answers through the words I most need. God Bless all of You. May you find the joy in Jesus…

By: LaVerna Fountain

LaVerna Fountain — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 00:57:05 +0000

You continually help me to see her another piece of God. The kaleidoscope of His presence still amazes me. From introducing me to Defiant Hope, which has guided me for decades, to today’s message which ironically focuses my mind on God’s love of matter. The cosmo. The human experience (happy and sad). The unanswered questions. God In all. Thank you.

By: Kam Congleton

Kam Congleton — Sun, 27 Dec 2020 23:47:24 +0000

Thank you, Philip!
I love that you pointed out how God loves matter itself –how He delights in HIs own creation! What a treat to ponder that…so the fact that He made it obvious we “matter” to HIm, too, is an even more glorious a thought. Thank you for giving voice to your thoughts–how much less goodness we would see, had you not made the sacrifice to do so.