Augustine, John and Friday morning.

Augustine, in his confessions, struggles in such an accessible way:

“Late have I loved you,

Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you!

You were within, but I outside, seeking there for you, and upon the shapely things you have made I rushed headlong – I, misshapen.

You were with me, but I was not with you.

They held me back far from you,those things which would have no being, were they not in you.

You called, shouted, broke through my deafness; you flared, blazed, banished my blindness; you lavished your fragrance, I gasped; and now I pant for you;

I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst; you touched me, and I burned for your peace.”

All sin is a form of vandalism, a scar-stain on something inherently beautiful. Why would we choose to deface what is already lovely? Sin is not God denying a delight, but rather the ruin of beauty He created to freely share.

There exists a wisdom that cherishes beauty as the harmonious union of the three ancient transcendentals: truth, goodness, and beauty. In a more reflective life, the love of wisdom becomes entwined with the love of beauty, for beauty devoid of wisdom is not truly beautiful.

In our fragmented modern age, through the lens of specialisation, we have dissected and divided all things. Yet, wouldn't we enjoy wisdom graced with beauty and beauty fortified with wisdom? In God's perfect nature, all these qualities are indivisible. In the extravagant simplicity of God, beauty and wisdom are one and the same.

Picking and remixing through the gospel of John (the Message translation), the following lifted out this beautiful wisdom:

Generous inside and out, true from beginning to end, God pours out His abundance—gift after gift, a lavish overflow of His Spirit.

Previously people only received the basics; now, we partake in the boundless giving and receiving of God’s grace.

He does not ration the Spirit in fragments but offers it wholly, out of love for the Son, who in turn shares all with us.

To truly succeed—eternally—we need heaven’s help.

God has revealed Himself, and if we truly knew His generosity and who He is, we would be drawn to Him, seeking the living water that satisfies the deepest thirst. For anyone who believes, rivers of living water will flow from within, brimming over with life.

I came so that you may have life—real, eternal, and more abundant than you’ve ever imagined.

In my care, you are safe from the Destroyer; no one can steal you from my hand, for the Father who entrusted you to me is far greater than any thief or enemy.

I am the light, sent to illuminate your path and broaden your narrow experiences with the vastness of the Father’s love. It’s through His gift that you find your way to me. You know me, you also know the Father, for we are one heart and mind. I am connected to what lies beyond your sight and touch; I live in the fullness of God’s presence.

The One who sent me remains with me always, and in my delight to please Him, He never abandons me.

If you live by my words, you are in that truth, you will find freedom.

Embrace love recklessly, and you will gain everything, forever.

The Father will honour those who serve me. I say to Him, “Father, display your glory,” for each word He crafts through me is a divine act.

When you look at me, you are seeing the One who sent me; I am the light that has come into the world to dispel darkness for all who believe.

As you hold onto the light, let it shine within you, guiding your way and marking you as children of light. Trust in me, for I came from the Father and am returning to Him, having been given complete charge over all.

I no longer call you servants, for servants don’t understand their master’s plans. I call you friends, for you are part of this divine relationship.

I leave you well and whole—my peace is my parting gift to you. Do not be troubled or afraid, for I do not leave you abandoned. Though the world may bring difficulties, take heart, for I have overcome the world.

Live in me as I live in you; make your home in my love, just as I am at home in the Father’s love. The Holy Spirit, the Friend whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything clear to you, guiding you into all truth. He will reveal the meaning of all that I have done and said, taking from me and delivering to you.

The Father is the goal and purpose of my life, and the same glory He has given me, I have shared with you.

God is crafting something gloriously grand, with every decision aimed at fulfilling His magnificent plan.

If you believe, you will see the glory of God.