The Hound of Heaven

The Hound of Heaven

Perspective

Our church is an

imposing edifice,

gray gothic stone—

you know the look—

standing regal,

a block long,

complete with spire,

chimes and courtyard,

a beehive of climbers

and crawlers, making

a vigorous assertion

of itself in the place

of commerce on Chicago’s

North Michigan Avenue.

We hold this church

close in our lives,

came across

a painting of it

in orange,

snapped it up,

blinded by it.

To Ponder

            1.   Reared in a Christian family, it was not until I was a

                  junior in college that I heard a professor say “Man created God

                  in his own image.”

            2.   I rebelled at the idea, but over time began to see

                  wisdom in the statement and still do, limited by my

                  earth-born capacities.

            3.   Later, adult, for almost 20 years, the only time I set foot

                  in church was for weddings and funerals. Then came the

                  hound of heaven.

            4.   He came howling in the form of two maligned Medieval

                  Masters: Meister Eckhart (1260-1327) and John Duns

                  Scotus: (1266-1308).

            5.   From Eckhart: “The ultimate and highest form of leave-

                  taking is leaving God for God.”

            6.   Duns Scotus argued Jesus came not to change God’s

                  mind about us by paying a ransom, but change our

                  minds about God.

            7.   This was new and right for me in freedom. I could

                  choose. And I knew the face of God I saw was one of

                  the many faces.

© 2013 Allan Cox, Allan Cox & Associates Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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