The First Scribe

 

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created in him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him. He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.

Colossians 1:15-17

 

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands…The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.

Psalm 19:1; 97:6

“Nature was the first scribe.” James Prosek 

We picked up James Prosek’s Audubon-like book on the coffee table of a hospitable stranger’s riverside cabin. His comment caused me to ponder the veracity of creation as scribe. God the Creator is the Word, and it was with words that He created all creation. It makes sense to me that in response, His creation would be a voluminous collection of scrolls, tablets, and books telling the story of the Word. The rocks retell the story of His stability. The mountains write poems of protection. The seas and sky sign His name with majestic ink in sunrise and sunset colors. And, as Prosek so poignantly points out, even the eggs of the female grackle are canvases telling the story of every creature’s uniqueness and exquisite individuality. 

Yes, Prosek may be right. 

 

Gentle rain,

Cleansing the earth

Steady comfort

Quenching creature thirst

Growing new life

With water-ink.

 

Towering redwood tree,

Taller than all

Strength for millennia 

Community builder

Creating stability

With complex root sentences.

 

Humble dove,

Murmuring lament

Beneath the bedlam

Granting permission

Invitation to weep

With plaintive poetry.

 

Squawking crow,

Cutting the sky

Awkwardly

Annoyingly

Determined to always narrate

With split infinitives.

 

Wide river

Flowing silently

Calmly

Unhurried 

Suggesting slowness

With show, don’t tell.

 

Intelligent human

Made in the image

Of the One

Who spoke, and it was. 

Toiling, trying

To record His infinite glory

With tiny pen and messy ink.

 

Creation scribing

Voluminous tomes

Striving to capture

All that He is

Concerning ourselves

With matters too great

To comprehend.

 

Holy, holy, holy

Is the Lord God Almighty

Who was and is

And is to come.

Until then

We scribe.

 

by Audrey Frank

 

Photo by Gildardo RH on Unsplash