> ^30^ Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ^31^ and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— ^32^ to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, ^33^ to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. ^34^ And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. ^35^ He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers. > Exodus 35:30-35 (NIV) God's creativity is everywhere: walk down the street and look up at the clouds in the sky. Look a the bugs and trees in your garden or at the park. The way the colours dance as you look over the sea at the beach. The way your cat's face is formed, or your dog's, or your hamster! The first person the bible describes as "filled with the Spirit" was not prophet or king, but Bezalel: a craftsman and artisan. Bezalel’s gift of creativity was not an end in itself but a means to an end: God’s greater glory. And here we have the link between creativity and prayer. I see creativity and worship, praise and prayer intertwined in so much of the world’s greatest art, from The Book of Kells in ninth century Scotland, to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in sixteenth century Rome, and John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme in twentieth century New Jersey. It is said of Columba, the founder of Iona Abbey, that he ‘could not spend even a single hour without attending to prayer’ but alongside this he was also a poet whose work is still read today. We see a similar prayerfulness in his spiritual son Aidan who certainly sung the Psalms from memory as he walked this way 1400 years ago. Prayer and creativity are intertwined, inseparable in the lives of Christians down the ages.

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The relational heart of God

> O LORD, you have searched me and known me! > You know when I sit down and when I rise up; > you discern my thoughts from afar. > You search out my path and my lying down > and are acquainted with all my ways. > Even before a word is on my tongue, > behold, O LORD, you know it altogether… > For you formed my inward parts; > you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. > I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. > Wonderful are your works; > my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:1-4,13-14 (ESVUK) These verses explore the wonder of knowing and being known. The creator of the cosmos could have been distant and disinterested, but He is not. He could have been interested but cruel, but He is not. What a joy it is to discover the relational heart of God. The more I know Him the more I find myself known by him.

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Aiden

>Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. > > Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. > > As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.[d] > They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. I'm following along with Pete Greig's pilgrimage from Iona to Lindisfarme. Today he was talking about Saint Aiden, who evangelised the north of England 1500 years ago. Aiden walked (mostly) from Iona to Lindisfarme, stopping to talk to people, rich or poor, all the way and show God's love at every opportunity. He almost certainly sang that psalm along the way and perhaps thought of the Valley of Baka and tried to make his journey resemble that verse.

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The first pilgrimage

> The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ‘I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. Genesis 12:1‭-‬4 NIVUK https://bible.com/bible/113/gen.12.1-4.NIVUK It’s estimated that one person in every twenty alive today is descended directly or indirectly from Abram, so this promise has certainly come to pass. But I’m struck by the word ‘Go’, upon which it is made contingent. ‘Go from your country’, says God, and I will bless you. ‘Go’, even though you are seventy-five years old. ‘Go’, and I will make you a great nation. Abram stepped into God’s plan for his life, and unlocked God’s purposes for human history, by simply being willing to strike out into the unknown, without any security except the promise God had given him. This is the heart of pilgrimage: a journey into the unknown with God, in search of God.

For benefit of anyone who needs to go back to the basics. Certainly a need I sense in the Kubernetes community around me.