December 8: I am God, There is No Other
♫ Music:
Day 6 - Friday, December 08
Title: I AM GOD, THERE IS NO OTHER
Scripture #1: Isaiah 45:18 (NKJV)
For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.”
Scripture #2: Isaiah 45:21b–25 (NKJV)
“And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me. Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, ‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against Him. In the Lord all the descendants of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory.’”
Poetry & Poet:
“God’s World”
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
O world, I cannot hold thee close enough!
Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!
Thy mists, that roll and rise!
Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag
And all but cry with colour! That gaunt crag
To crush! To lift the lean of that black bluff!
World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!
Long have I known a glory in it all,
But never knew I this;
Here such a passion is
As stretcheth me apart,—Lord, I do fear
Thou’st made the world too beautiful this year;
My soul is all but out of me,—let fall
No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.
I AM GOD, THERE IS NO OTHER
Does a Millennial get to have a mid-life crisis? What would that look like for a generation that has amassed less material wealth at this point in their lives compared to previous generations? News outlets from the New York Times to Medium are asking these very questions. I found myself pondering similar thoughts recently, as I advance ever closer to the big 4-0.
In this frame of mind, I found myself struck by today’s artwork from The Saint John’s Bible. The frontispiece for the book of Genesis, Creation reflects an individualized yet cohesive visual progression. The account of creation is depicted through seven columns, each representing a separate day. Different biomes, weather conditions, and times of day and night are depicted one right after the other, yet there are also elements that bleed into the next section, providing a sense of continuity from one day to the next. There is structure given to what could be considered chaotic variety.
A well-worn joke on social media these days is, “I am tired of living through historic events.” There is significant struggle, fear, and uncertainty that permeates our existence every day. We are no strangers to the problems of a sinful world––wealth inequality, racism, climate disasters, divisive political rhetoric…as a people we push on, but the challenges of each day make it difficult to appreciate the beauty amidst the seeming chaos.
I am reminded of 1 Peter 4:12: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”
This may be a difficult passage to swallow when living paycheck to paycheck. Or when suffering from a chronic illness. Or processing grief from the loss of a loved one. Are our modern times rife with troubles? Yes. Without a doubt. But that is the important context and parallel that we sometimes do not fully appreciate in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. The first major prophet, Isaiah’s work was to minister to people who lived during a tumultuous period of trial and tribulation. As such, his messages contained both admonition and hope.
When it feels as though the world is ending, that is when it is easiest to lose hope - to lose faith. But isn’t that the tricky thing about the concept of faith? It is predicated on the notion of holding fast to something even though it may appear as though we do not have proof that would justify hopefulness. Faith requires trust. Trust in the knowledge that our Lord and Savior came to a tumultuous world as a babe and paid the ultimate price. Birth and death comingle in a process designed to bring about redemption … beauty and turmoil live in the same breath.
Prayer:
Father, it is easy for me to get caught in the negative, to ignore the goodness of you. Help me to find your peace regardless of my circumstances – to press into you when life feels impossible, and to show your great love to others in any given season.
Amen.
Zachary Bortot
Associate Professor of Theatre
Collinsworth School of Performing Arts
California Baptist University
Riverside, California
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Art:
Detail from Genesis Frontispiece: Creation (Genesis 1:1–2:3)
The Saint John’s Bible
Donald Jackson with contributions from Chris Tomlin
©2003
Gilded illuminated manuscript on vellum
15 ¾ in. x 23 ½ in.
Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
www.saintjohnsbible.org
The structure of this illumination reflects the seven-day progression of the Bible's creation story, with seven vertical strips, one for each day. On the first day, fragmented shapes explode from the primordial void, expressed by the Hebrew words "tohu wabohu" (chaos). A vertical gold line marks the moment in the story when God ordered, "Let there be light." Day three contains satellite pictures of the Nile Delta, suggesting the division of land and water and the beginnings of vegetation. The creation of human beings on the sixth day is represented by images from Aboriginal rock paintings in Africa and Australia. The snake implies dangers to come in the Garden of Eden. The golden seventh day is given over entirely to the contemplation of the spirit. The raven flying across the composition is the traditional carrier of God’s message to Saint Benedict. Gold is used throughout to symbolize God’s ordering of the universe. The gold squares expand outward and upward from day one until reaching the serene Sabbath, the seventh day.
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/stjohnsbible/stjohns-exhibit.html
About the Artist #1:
Donald Jackson (b. 1938) is one of the world's leading calligraphers and the artistic director and illuminator of The Saint John's Bible, a handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned by the Benedictine Monastery of Saint John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. At the age of twenty, Jackson was appointed to be a visiting lecturer at the Camberwell College of Art, London. Within six years he became the youngest artist calligrapher chosen to take part in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s first International Calligraphy Show after the war and appointed a scribe to the Crown Office at the House of Lords. As a scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, he was responsible for the creation of official state documents. In 1985, he received the Medal of The Royal Victorian Order (MVO). Jackson is an elected fellow and past chairman of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators and, in 1997, was named master of the six-hundred-year-old Guild of Scriveners of the city of London. He is the author of The Story of Writing and The Calligrapher's Art. Jackson and his wife Mabel live and work in the Hendre, a converted town hall and outbuildings in Monmouth, Wales.
https://www.saintjohnsbible.org/promotions/process/peo
About the Artist #2:
Chris Tomlin is an experienced illustrator, designer, and conceptual artist based in the UK. Since leaving the Royal College of Art with a master's degree in visual communications, he has worked for a wide range of high-profile publishers and corporate media clients.
https://christomlinillustration.com/about.html
About the Music:
“Above All/There is None Like You”
Recorded for "An Evening of Hope," a virtual concert in April 2021.
Lyrics:
You were crucified, laid behind the stone,
You live to die, rejected and alone.
Like a rose trampled on the ground,
You took the fall and thought of me,
Above all.
Above all powers, above all kings,
Above all nature and all created things,
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man,
You were here before the world began.
Above all kingdoms, above all thrones,
Above all wonders the world has ever known,
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth,
There's no way to measure,
What You're worth.
You were crucified, laid behind the stone.
You live to die, rejected and alone.
Like a rose trampled on the ground,
You took the fall and thought of me,
Above all.
Like a rose trampled on the ground,
You took the fall and thought of me,
Above all.
There is none like You,
No one else can touch,
My heart like You do,
And I could search,
For all eternity long and find,
There is none like You.
For there is none like you,
No one else can touch,
My heart like You do,
And I could search,
For all eternity long and find,
There is none like You.
Your mercy flows like a river so wide,
And healing comes from Your hands.
Suffering children are safe in Your arms,
There is none like You,
Oh, there is none like you.
For there is none like you,
No one else can touch,
My heart like You do,
And I could search,
For all eternity long and find,
There is none like You.
For all eternity long and find,
There is none like You,
None like You.
About the Composer:
Lenny LeBlanc (b. 1951) is an American musician and songwriter. He started his career with Pete Carr in 1975 and later parted ways when both had different plans for the future. He is known for the song "Falling." With much success as a background musician and singer, LeBlanc embarked on a solo career. In 1980, LeBlanc became a born-again Christian and began recording Christian-themed music. In 1983, Heartland Records released “Say a Prayer,” followed by “Person to Person” in 1984. In 1987, LeBlanc opened his own recording studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where he works on his own productions, as well as those of others. LeBlanc’s name appears on dozens of beloved songs of the church, including the Dove Award–winning “Above All” which has been recorded by Michael W. Smith and Rebecca Saint James. His voice and his compositions are featured on dozens of well-known worship recordings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_LeBlanc
https://lennyleblanc.com/
About the Performers:
Lenny LeBlanc and Rachel Robinson
Rachel Robinson is a director, music director, teaching artist, and performer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2003, Rachel moved to New York City to begin her degree at New York University. After graduating in 2007, Rachel became the resident music director at Stage Left Children’s Theater in Tappan, New York. At the same time, she founded a private voice and piano studio. In 2011, Rachel was hired as the conservatory director at the Willows in San Francisco, where she worked on developing opportunities for youth and up-and-coming theatre artists. In 2012, Rachel returned to doing freelance work as a director, music director, and teaching artist. She is a frequent artist at the Berkeley Playhouse, Bay Area Musicals, Altarena Playhouse, and Bay Area Children’s Theatre.
https://rachelrobinsonmusic.com/
About the Poetry and Poet:
Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950) was an American lyrical poet and playwright. Millay was a renowned social figure and noted feminist in New York City during the Roaring Twenties and beyond. She wrote much of her prose and hackwork verse under the pseudonym Nancy Boyd. Millay won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her poem "Ballad of the Harp-Weaver"—she was the first woman and second person to win the award. In 1943, Millay was the sixth person and the second woman to be awarded the Frost Medal for her lifetime contribution to American poetry. Millay was highly regarded during much of her lifetime, with the prominent literary critic Edmund Wilson calling her "one of the only poets writing in English in our time who have attained to anything like the stature of great literary figures.'' By the 1930s, her critical reputation began to decline, as modernist critics dismissed her work for its use of traditional poetic forms and subject matter, in contrast to modernism's exhortation to "make it new." However, the rise of feminist literary criticism in the 1960s and 1970s revived an interest in Millay's works.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edna_St._Vincent_Millay
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/edna-st-vincent-millay
About the Devotion Author:
Zachary Bortot
Associate Professor of Theatre
Collinsworth School of Performing Arts
California Baptist University
Riverside, California
Zachary Bortot is an associate professor of Theatre at California Baptist University. Prior to CBU he served as the artistic director for Biola University's Theatre Program, as well as the director of development for the Chicago based non-profit Christian theatre company, Honest Theatre. In his career he has spent years working as an actor, director, producer, fight director, writer, and instructor in a variety of locales and venues in the U.S., both on stage and screen. He recently directed West Side Story for the Courtyard Shakespeare Festival and Frankenstein at CBU. You can see him next as Sebastian in Rebel Run Studio’s science-fiction adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.