ecce homo

George Rouault, "Ecce Homo" ("That is the man")
Paris, Musée national d’art moderne, 1937-41. canvas on wood. in 34 + 24.4

Proper 24
Isaiah 53

This chapter is one of the mountain peaks of scripture.

Out of the ashes of exile will rise up a tender shoot that will eventually tower over the world as the great tree of reconciliation. The people of God will live under the redemptive shade of its towering limbs. A dead tree, the cross, opens the door back to the garden where we will one day once again enjoy the tree of life.

It's all here. There is a suffering servant who will take our sin upon himself and justify many.

Marvel. Rest. Rejoice. Ecce homo indeed.

the shelter

L'église d'Auvers-sur-Oise (The Church at Auvers-sur-Oise)
1890 (220 Kb); Oil on canvas, 94 x 74 cm (37 x 29 1/8 in);
Musee d'Orsay, Paris

Proper 24 - Psalm 91

Two of my heroes are Francis Schaeffer and Jim Elliott. Both come to mind when reading this Psalm: Francis Schaeffer for naming his ministry L'Abri, which means "The Shelter" in French, and Jim Elliott for the book written by his wife Elizabeth, The Shadow of the Almighty.

Both of these men understood that to dwell in the shelter of the Most High means to find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. God's house is right here waiting for us: all we need to do is walk into the door, and then sit down and dwell with Him. Modern people whose lives are so frenetic so desparately need to see this lived out.

The church should be a place in which people can find shelter from the frenetic chaos of modern life: so taught us Francis Schaeffer. For the church to thrive, it desparately needs people committed fully to dwelling in the shelter God provides: so taught us Jim Elliott.

May you dwell in his house today and find rest for your soul.