| The ideas in this book have formed in many places around the world. Discussions in my literature and writing classes have nurtured them, and they have been aired in conversations with friends and colleagues for many years. I now invite you to spend the next 365 days looking through thew~-dows Jesus has opened in order to show us new aspects of His char aTer~"and ministry. What is God like? Surely not that,t you say. But don t ~, toosure. Be prepared for a "shock of recognition" as you move throug~thisgallery of pictures, old and new. Scripture reveals the realities of human experience to us in symbols.Suspicious and fearful of anything approaching idolatry, the Hebrews andfirst Christians filled their writings with vivid verbal images. "God the irrrager"has, therefore, presented Christ in a varied and colorful field of imagery.Such a tapistry of the divine personality is an extremely rich one. For in-stance, Christ is the Word as well as the Spirit and the Life. We see Him"made flesh" and also glorified in heaven. He shows both loving-l dndnessand stern judgment. Christ is the Lamb on the cross and the King on thethrone. The Holy Spirit came as a dove and leaping flames of fire. David the warrior touched upon a vital point in our relationship withGod when he exuberantly sang: "Ihe Lord [is] my rock, my fortress, mystronghold and my deliverer, my shield" (Ps. 144:1, 2, RSV). The secret liesin the pronoun my. Therefore, by the end of the year, I hope, ,we will each be able to paint our own portrait of the Master, understanding the manyways by which He can supply our most unique needs. Special appreciation goes to Virchel Wood, M.D., my orthopedic sur* geon friend who read the entire manuscript. He gave useful suggestions not only on scientific matters but also on religious and social issues. And then there is my longtime friend and writing critic, Olivine Nadeau-Bohner. Her help included the final preparation of the manuscript for publication. |
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