In the first creation in the dawn of time
In the first garden
Everything was shrouded with light
Purity and innocence shimmered
For the Son of God gave the Light
Then Darkness entered the garden
And brought his companion
Shame.
I have more questions than answers.
I am just the storyteller.
"In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." - Acts 2:17
The Vision
In the great high court the High Priest stood before the Angel
He was clothed in filthy rags representing the people of God
The rags stank of excrement
He was trembling and the rags shook with the trembling
Somehow in the weirdest of ways there was a sense of goodness about the man
A sense of old authority and diminished power
However, like Pig Pen in the Peanuts cartoon, dirt swirled around him every time he moved
The filthy rags he wore were the sins of the children of God
He wore them on himself and hated the stench and the feel of them.
For just a moment in time, he wore them.
Standing at his right hand stood another his accuser
He was shrouded in darkness
The same evil that had entered the garden
His evil companion
The old enemy he had birthed
Shame
The filthy rags the defendant wore
were crying with their own voice
Echoing the accuser
A great microphone of shame
One by one, too numerous to count
The rags spoke out
In shame
Tears of anguish and despair rolled down
A broken man
He groaned and sighed.
He stood before a Man
Who had also wept
He too had groaned and sighed
For this was the Angel of the Lord
"A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief."
He started to turn around
Those rags were all he could offer
Then the Angel spoke
"The Lord rebuke you, Satan!"
"Is this not a log plucked from the fire?"
Black and sooty from the fire?
Loved when there was nothing to love?
Now He spoke again.
"Take off the filthy rags!"
Every garment was removed and as they fell away
Shame also fell away
He stood for a moment simply shrouded in the glory of God
Once again for a moment in the garden
In the dawn of creation
A new creature
Naked and unashamed he stood before the eyes of God
The eyes of God did not look away.
"I will clothe you with rich robes."
- Scripture taken from Zachariah 3
"He was all his life spinning the web for making the royal garment and in His death, He dipped that garment in His blood. In His life he was gathering together the precious gold. In his death He hammered it out to make for us a garment which is of gold." - Charles Spurgeon
His robes for my rags
O wonderful exchange
His robes for mine
What have I to dread?
God's daunting law
Christ mastered in my stead
I cling to Christ
And marvel at the cost
Bought by such love
My life is not my own
My praise - my all
Shall be for Christ alone - Chris Andersen
"All my righteousness are as filthy rags"