Kites

The sky was full of them… big ones, little ones, acrobatic ones, animal shaped ones, geometric wonders soaring, hovering and filling the sky with a kaleidoscopic display of color and numinous joy. The recent kite festival was truly festive and a picturesque moment that not only kept cameras clicking but eyes heavenward. Kite is word borrowed from birds of prey that captures not only the sense of flight but a glimpse into the history of these ancient tools and toys. No one is quite sure of their origin whether the Pacific islands or China but it is agreed that their original use was practical. In the islands they were used for fishing or for entreating the gods. In China they served as aids to military endeavors and even for flight behind enemy lines. Even in our own history we remember Benjamin Franklin’s experiment with electricity. However, in all cultures eventually kites were for fun and sport… toys for big and small. And when celebrated the sky becomes a canvas of color and rhythmic motion sparkling with creative energy that harnesses the wind and the human spirit it is tethered to on the ground. At once it is childhood revisited and an armada of skilled aerial puppeteers delighting the audience with tales of adventure and memories of paper, sticks and string.
As I viewed the sky in all its dramatic beauty I thought to myself as I often do when awed by an exceptional sunset or postcard view… “What will it be like when Jesus returns and fills the sky with trumpeting angels and the undeniable display of his presence? Will it be a scene of indescribable beauty or will we cover our eyes blinded by both its brilliance and struck with terror by its power and magnitude? Or will we just simply be consumed with joy and surprise so that we fall down and worship the King’s return?” I don’t expect to have an answer but I’m sure that hot air balloons, kite festivals, the Blue Angels soaring over stadiums and the like are no match to that glorious day. But they are a good reminder that we are connected to the skies… that there is a world beyond. Such reminders reconnect us to the reality that we are more than citizens of earth but that we love looking to the skies because within us is a longing to know the divine and express our spirituality.
So, if you could create a kite that would visually express your connection to the divine… what would it look like? Would it simply be a cross embraced with a heart? Or would it be a tapestry of your hopes and dreams? Or possibly it would be a great banner displaying your family history and your loyalty to the kingdom of God? What would your kite look like? Or maybe the best way to look at it is what a joyous scene it will be when we like kites soar to meet Jesus in the air when he comes again! “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).” -DAN