Wednesday, September 17, 2014

colours of creation

I believe in the Kingdom Come,
Then all the colours will bleed into one

It’s a line from U2, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking. It’s in stark contrast to some of what I observed today, and have been experiencing over recent months.

Today, the Spice Market in Istanbul. Such richness of colour in the world of spice, so linked to taste, in the food we eat.

colours1

In June, in Sydney, an art installation in the main foyer. It included a fan, gently blowing, that allowed the colours to move, touched by the wind. So soon after Pentecost, it seemed a wonderful expression of Pentecost, the wind of God’s Spirit that does not bring uniformity. Instead, as each heard in their own language, it brings individuality, affirms culture, encourages diversity, insists on contextualisation.

colours2

Over Christmas, a bead shop in Christchurch. Again, such richness of colour. This time, so linked to play, the creative act that is bead making. So close to Christmas, an expression of the act of creation, in which God lavishes not mono-cultures, but the enormous diversity of creation.

colours3

Me things, U2 that you’ve got you’re theology wrong. The colours of the Kingdom are not bleeding into one, but into the rainbow of God’s purposes.

We live in such a rich world. Bring on the colours of creation in all the tables of humanity

Posted by steve at 04:59 AM

1 Comment

  1. Hi Steve, sounds like you are enjoying your trip! Hope you have a wonderfully enriching time.

    I agree that it’s certainly not scriptural, the account in Revelation speaks of the new Jerusalem being adorned with jewels of every colour, of gold and white pearls and bright light shining from the glory of God. I personally heard this lyric differently though. I took it to refer to the colours of people, that one day our different colours will not matter, we will all be one humanity, indistinct from each other, being one with the Lord, new creations and all that. It has been a while since I heard this though and I may be affected by both the passage of time and the segment in “Rattle and Hum” where the song is featured.

    Comment by Douglas Monaghan — September 17, 2014 @ 10:51 am

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