Chapter 2 - Day 2 (Much of what is sighted here is adapted or directly quoted from Philip Newell’s: The Book of Creation..)
SLIDE: Genesis 1: 6-8 - (as Translated by J. Philip Newell in Celtic Benediction)
"On the second day the storm kept stirring. It was the wind of new beginnings. God was
saying, “let there be a space for creation.” And the wind carved out a hollow in the deep
waters. It was a cradle for life. Above, beneath and on every side of it were the everlasting
waters. God saw that it was good. It was a place for birth and abundance. And there was
evening and morning, creation’s second day.
Wild. When’s the last time you used the word wild....? In what context?
- to describe someone’s hair?
- a car ride
- a travel adventure
- a tattoo
- the behavior of a three year old?
SLIDE: STEPPENWOLF
- maybe you were just singing along to a song on the radio...
Believe it or not, Steppenwolf‘s not far from the aspect of Celtic spirituality we are going to talk about today...
This is week two of what will be our seven week look at Celtic spirituality, during Eastertide.
I feel qualified to talk about Celtic Spirituality because, I’ve seen Braveheart! And more importantly, fortunately there are many good teachers out there about the Celtic Tradition.
One of whom [SLIDE: J. PHILIP NEWELL And The book of J. Philip Newell entitled: The Book of Creation: An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality. will be our guide]
I met Philip Newell about 7 years ago, and was immediately impressed by his work...
- an evangelist of Celtic Christianity which has come out of primarily the Islands of Great Britain, he hopes to offer a different perspective of Christianity from the the more influential theologies of Rome and Western Europe,
- He believes it is necessary and helpful
And in reading, talking with, and hearing Newell, I’ve found that, the Celtic perspective to be a breath of fresh air in my own faith seeking understanding.
You may find the same...
Today’s focus--on Wildness! is just another example as to why.
Last week, day 1, God spoke light into existence, a light within, over, behind, beyond all things. The light that shines from all of creation; and Peggy, you captured this beautifully in your testimony last week as you described discovering the light within. It’s not that foriegn of a concept, perhaps because we know it to already be true.
This week, Day 2 - Wildness of God.
