OSC--Guanajuato 2010

the sunset—with a camera effect 

God’s Masterpiece

I flew back to Harrisburg last night from Atlanta.  I had the joy of sitting on the left side of the plane as we flew north as the sun was setting.  I was awe-struck as I watched God’s masterpiece unfold.

At it’s peak the sky was a dramatic canvas swept by the brilliant colors of a master artist.  Stragiht above the sky was nearly pitch black, I could see stars and the endless abyss of space.  As my gaze drifted lower the sky began to lighten, deep shades of purple and dark blue began to immerge.  Those darker blues gave way to the most clear and brilliant sky blue I have seen.  No haze, no clouds, just perfectly pure sky.  That light blue bled into yellows which gave way to oranges and reds.  At the horizon it was as if the sky had been gashed open and liquid magma was spilling out—radiant, glowing, nearly neon red.  The sun itself was a firey ball of red and was setting directly over the end of the wing.  As the firey orb slipped below the horizon I could still see rays of yellow light  spreading from the end of the wing like a peacock’s tail.  It was as if heaven itself were opened up and its radiance was pouring forth.  Breath-taking to say the least.

As I was drinking this in with my eyes, my ears were being filled with praise music through my mp3 player.  As music blared out the attributes of God and His love and greatness made manifest in Christ, I was swept away.  I let my mind drift to the scene later this week.  I imagined the fellow passengers on the flight to be the youth from NCF, not strangers.  I envisioned them joking and laughing, their joy contagious to all those on the flight.  I began to imagine what God would be doing in thier hearts and their lives at that point next week.  As I was filled with wonder at the greatness and masterful touch with which God orchestrated the sunset I began to imagine that same master artist with His brush and His colors painting a masterpiece next week.  Only this time the subject was not the sun and the sky, but rather 24 young people in Mexico.  The artist began that great work in ages past, before the foundation of the world and now He begins to bring it into focus this week. 

I have no doubt that He will not be finished with His masterpiece this week, but I am excited to see the progress that He makes.  I am eager to see this portion of His story written.  He has beautiful colors to use this week—24 unique and perfect colors who He has blended to be just what He needs for this painting.  I can’t wait to see the picture He paints!