Beauty and Truth

One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
To live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
—Psalm 27:4

Emerson described beauty as “God’s handwriting—a wayside sacrament.” I’ve contemplated this idea of beauty during one of the most magnificent springs I have witnessed in recent memory. It is as though after a harsh and dark winter, God’s handwriting has appeared in spectacular form. It has been at times almost sacramental for me—the very presence of drinking it in has been a religious experience of grace and truth.

John Keats was a poet who equated beauty with truth. For Keats truth was that which was real for you. Ultimate truth would be that which is ultimately real. For the Psalmist ultimate truth was connected with ultimate beauty and reality—beholding God in the world around and especially questing for God in his house.

Every time I see a rhododendron that survives the harshness of winter and thrives beyond imagination, I see God’s truth and beauty. Every time I hear our choir sing Beautiful Savior the truth and beauty of the words and music make Jesus more real. When I hear the band rock out on Grace is Enough the truth and beauty of God’s salvific presence stirs my soul.

I really don’t have to wait to behold the beauty and truth of the Lord—it is all around me. God’s handwriting and sacramental presence can only be missed if I am too busy to notice. The loss is mine when that happens. Today, make the poetic observation of the Psalmist bloom beautifully in your life. Examine what good is most real for you. Look for the beauty and truth of God’s handwriting in what might be considered the ordinary—the dandelion struggling upward through a crack in the sidewalk, the miracle of color and sight, the joy of taste, all God’s handwriting in life.

Prayer
Creator God, I give thanks for the truth and beauty of your presence. May I take the time during this day to behold your handwriting and drink of the sacrament of your presence in all that surrounds me. Amen.


Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
06.01.10