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Thursday 24 April 2008

The New World

Sir Walter Raleigh to Queen Elizabeth I... quoted in Rob Bell's talk on Resurrection.

“Can you imagine what it is to cross an ocean? For weeks you see nothing but the horizon, perfect and empty.
You live in the grip of fear;
Fear of storms, fear of sickness onboard, fear of the immensity.
So you must drive that fear down deep into your belly
Study your charts
Watch your compass
Pray for a fair wind
And hope
Pure naked fragile hope

At first its no more than a haze on the horizon
So you watch
You watch
And as the smudge, a shadow on the far water
For a day
For another day
The stain slowly spreads along the horizon taking form
Until on the third day
You let yourself believe
You dare to whisper the word
‘land’
Land
Life
Resurrection
The true adventure
Coming out of the vast unknown
Out of the immensity
Into new life

That, your majesty, is the new world"

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