Kevin Hartnett Poetry

Impossibly Gigantic

Photo credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Impossibly gigantic,

Yet hid from normal view;

With silent force controlling

The sum in your purview.

And is it not these likenesses,

In beauty, strength and grace,

That take my eye to see in you

The Great Designer’s trace?

-- K. Hartnett, July 2002

To whom, then, will you compare God?  What image will you compare Him to? (Isaiah 40:18)
 

The Whirlpool Galaxy - Almost Beyond Comprehension

Spectacular in its clarity, this image of M51- the Whirlpool Galaxy in the constellation of Canes Venatici- was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, high above the blurring effects of the Earth’s atmosphere.  It reveals the true nature of galactic spiral arms: immense structures of gas, dust and clusters of stars curving through the emptiness of outer space.  The size of this system boggles the mind.  If one were to reduce our own Solar System of planets- billions of miles in diameter itself- down to the size of a cookie, this galaxy in proper scale would be larger than the entire United States!  Spiral galaxies rotate everything in them in immense orbits that take millions of years to complete.  The earth is being flung right now with the rest of the Solar System at high speeds around the center of our own galaxy.

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.(1 Chronicles. 29:11)

In this poem I liken various attributes of God to the qualities of a gigantic spiral galaxy.  Both are too grand to fully comprehend.  As huge as our own Milky Way galaxy is, and despite the fact that it is silently hurling our entire Solar System around its center at a speed faster than a bullet’s, we live completely unaware of its presence and influence.  How similar this is to God!  Every moment our lives are silently guided in His powerful sovereignty, but we don’t even know it!  Then too behold the majesty and beauty of the galaxy’s spectacular and mysterious spiral arms.  All these things bring us to behold  the Genius of creation Himself, the Great Designer of all.

The Incarnation

Photo by Kevin Hartnett

Notwithstanding mankind’s stature-

Ever lost from dust made more-

God In-finite-man, a Savior,

Bore the filth of earthen floor.

-- K. Hartnett, December 1976

Then the Lord God formed man of dust…(Genesis 2:7))

And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger…(Luke 2:7)

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree…(I Peter 2:24)

The Star Capella - Beauty at the Change of Season

Herald of the crisp and cold winter nights of  northern latitudes, the bright star Capella rises prominently in the east during the late fall months.  Capella is the sixth brightest star in the sky.  At a distance of only 45 light- years, it is also one of the closer stars to our Sun, and actually shares the Sun’s beautiful yellow color.  The color of a star is determined by its temperature, much in the same way as iron glows differently when it is heated to various degrees.  Lower temperatures produce reddish hues; extremely hot ones show as brilliant blue-white.  Capella is actually part of a multiple star system, with a nearby companion star, and two more at a greater distance in orbit around the primary two.   Astronomers have found that the majority of stars in our galaxy are part of such pairs or groupings.

Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power not one of them is missing. (Isaiah 40:26)

I wrote this poem during the Christmas season following my first year of living as a true Christian.  In it I try to verbalize the unspeakably great  truth that God Himself in the form of Jesus Christ became incarnate, that is, came as a man, to humbly pay for sins through His death and thereby reconcile sinful men to Himself.   The scriptures reveal Christ as simultaneously fully God ("Infinite man") and fully man ("In finite man").  He humbly laid aside His heavenly prerogative for glory and was born on a stable floor in the flesh of dust from which He originally created Adam.  Later in life He would also bear the spiritual filth of men’s sins on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice.  The last line of this poem seeks to capture simultaneously  these interrelated  thoughts.

One World Is Immaterial

Photo by Kevin Hartnett

One world is immaterial;

One such, that human eye can see.

Indeed the more ethereal

Directs the latter’s destiny.

-- K. Hartnett, September 2002

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

The Moon in Phases - Seen and Unseen

Our celestial companion, the Moon, appears to us differently each night of the month.  This is because as it circles the Earth, we see it from different angles with respect to the Sun.  When it is opposite the Sun, it appears full, for we see its fully illuminated face.  At new moon, when it lies in the same direction as the Sun, it is invisible-  due both to the brightness of the daylight sky, and to the fact that we are looking toward its non-illuminated face.  At first quarter and last quarter, when it is respectively one quarter and three quarters of its way around the Earth (as measured from new moon) we see a half-illuminated circle.  Things in life can look one way, but be another in reality.  The scriptures speak authoritatively about both seen and unseen beings, worlds and forces.  We do well to study both the material and immaterial aspects of existence.

For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible…and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians. 1:16-17)

In this little poem I play with the idea that just as you can normally see part of the Moon but another part- though very real- is black and invisible, so too there are whole worlds that we see, and those that we do not.  Indeed astronomical detectors that are designed to respond to certain wavelengths of light but not to others also teach us that real energies exist that our five senses cannot detect.  The spiritual, or immaterial world is every bit as real as the one we detect with our eyes and ears, but happens to be invisible to them.
 

Ten Thousand Times a Thousand Still

Photo credit: NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Ten thousand times a thousand still-

The might of suns reduced to sand-

Thus so the vaunted sons of earth

Are brought to naught at His command.

-- K. Hartnett, December 2001

He brings princes to naught, and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. (Isaiah 40:23)

Globular Cluster M80 - Lessons in Humility

Scores of globular star clusters like this one- located in the summer constellation of Scorpius- are found orbiting the center of our huge spiral galaxy, the Milky Way.  Most contain hundreds of thousands- some as many as a million- stars.  The entire galaxy is thought to contain approximately 150 billion stars!  If this were not hard enough to comprehend, astronomers now know there are also billions of galaxies stretching through space as far as telescopes can see.  The scriptural analogy between the number of stars in the heavens and the grains of sand on the seashore turns out to be a well-chosen one.  Most astronomers believe globular clusters contain among the oldest stars in the universe, but several recent observations about the types of stars at their centers, and the number of stellar collisions they manifest cast some doubt on this understanding.

He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord, and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. (Psalm 147:4,5)

God is frightfully powerful, and this is indeed a powerful understatement.  Psalm 33:6 tells us that “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of His mouth.”  Each of the heavenly host- each twinkling star- is really an unimaginably  colossal cauldron of churning and flaming plasma.  Our small sun alone could hold over a million earths inside.  That there could exist a being who simply speaks such items into existence is truly a cause for wonder, fear, and humility.  In fact, He treats the stars as if they were so much sand.  Little wonder then that God simply laughs at the pride of men and devils who oppose him (Psalm 2:4).  In the end, He will banish His enemies by a word that strikes like a sword from His mouth (Revelation 19:21).
 

Beauty Reaches Through the Eye

Photo credit: NASA JPL and the Voyager Team

Beauty reaches through the eye,

To light upon a humble soul,

And teach this other-worldly truth:

“No second piece conveys the Whole.”

-- K. Hartnett, January 2000

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

The Planet Saturn - Queen of the Planets

The beautiful planet Saturn lies next outside the Sun from Jupiter, the king of the planets.  Saturn is indeed the second largest planet of the solar system.  Its disk is about ten times the diameter of the Earth. Stretching around the disk however, lies Saturn’s most remarkable feature: a spectacular system of multi-layered rings.  Spectral analysis of the light reflected from these rings indicates that they are comprised primarily of water ice in millions of pieces that range in size from granules to house-sized chunks.  The existence of the rings is somewhat perplexing to astronomers since it would seem that structures of this sort are inherently unstable and will either collapse into the planet or disperse into space in a relatively short period of time.  The simple, but undeniable beauty of this lovely ringed orb points us to the ultimate source of all beauty, God Himself.  No created thing can match the beauty of the Creator.

Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. (Psalm 96:6)

Succinctly stated, the thought that I tried to express in this poem is this: every beautiful created thing points to an even more beautiful Creator.  We know about  love because God is love. We know about Fatherhood because God is a Father.  We know about beauty because God, the ultimate First Cause of everything, is also beautiful.  Proud people are not likely to recognize this because they have a difficult time honoring and thanking God.  To the humble and worshipful of heart, however, every tiny piece of creation reminds them of the magnificent Genius who fashioned it all.  No item of creation, be it ever so beautiful, can convey the infinite beauty of the Source.
 

Blackened, Lifeless, Cold and Grim

Photo by Kevin Hartnett

Blackened, lifeless, cold and grim-

Such was my estate in sin.

Then the mighty Son drew me;

Hence I’ll shine by His glory.

-- K. Hartnett, October 1999

But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…(Ephesians 2:4,5)

Comet Close-up - Making Much from Nothing

An astronomer once commented that the tail of a comet is “as close to nothing as you can be, and still be something!”  Pushed into space by the action of the solar wind, the tail of a comet can stretch faintly for millions of miles behind its icy nucleus.  The sooty mixture of dust and ices that forms the tail is intrinsically no prettier than week-old snow on the side of a highway.  Vaporized off the comet’s surface, this ugly “smoke” spreads out so thinly in the vast expanse of space that we would consider a sample of a comet’s tail to be a fine vacuum here on earth.  It is only because of the brilliant illumination of the sun that these vapors can be seen at all against the jet blackness of outer space.  Cometary debris drapes the inner Solar System in gigantic sheets.  Their tiny bits of grit burning up in the atmosphere produce the phenomenon we call meteor showers when the earth passes through them.

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)

This poem likens our lives to the cold, dark,  icy comets that float through outer space.  Under the influence of the sun’s gravitation, they are drawn into the inner Solar System where they are warmed and display their marvelously beautiful tail or tails.  Spiritually speaking, our lives are no different.  Jesus said “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32).  God the Father in his kindness, not based on any intrinsic merit or beauty in us, draws men through the sacrifice of his Son to himself, so that they can reflect His manifold glories.
 

Praise Him in the Arts for the Sciences

Photo credit: NASA, ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Praise Him in the Arts

For the Sciences…

Praise Him in the Sciences

…For His Art.

-- K. Hartnett, December 1998

Great are the works of the Lord; they are studied by all who delight in them. (Psalm 111:2)
 
The Spirograph Nebula - a Cause for Wonder

This amazing and beautiful object is found in the constellation of Lepus the Hare, hiding in the winter sky beneath the feet of Orion the Hunter.  Catalogued by astronomers as IC 418, this object is known as a planetary nebula because in small telescopes, its circular shape appears very much like the disk of a planet.  In reality, the shape is caused by layers of gas that have been ejected from the central star due to complex physical processes there.  As one shell of gas moves away, cools, and slows down, it is then flooded by ultraviolet radiation from the star which causes it to fluoresce.  The colors represent the various chemical constituents (nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen) of the shells.  The remarkable patterns within this and other planetaries are assumed to be based at least in part by the rotation of their central stars, but remain poorly understood to date.

"Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11)

Look about you- there’s no greater scientist or artist than God Himself.  The artistic sensitivities of men should rightly be employed to honor the exquisite engineering, mathematical, and scientific  foundations  of the  universe.  Likewise, scientists and engineers would do well to  worship God for the artistic beauty and intricate simplicity of His creative genius.  In the Spirograph Nebula, we see astounding beauty resulting from complex scientific processes expressed to God’s glory in one tiny corner of the universe.
 

What Name Has He for Me?

Photo credit: NASA, ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

He named the demarcation of

His radiance “Day” from “Night”;

He called twin Thomas ‘Ditymus,’
And Jacob, ‘Israelite.’

He leads each of His starry host

from anonymity;

Oh ask the “Sons of Thunder” this:

"What name has He for me?"

-- K. Hartnett, March 2000

Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of His might, and because He is strong in power, not one is missing.(Isaiah 40:26)
 
Hodge 301 - Astronomical Naming

This spectacular and beautiful image was taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.  It shows the central region of a star cluster alternately known as 30 Doradus, the Tarantula Nebula, and NGC 2070. Astronomical objects take on various names as they are cataloged formally and informally.  The name 30 Doradus reflects the fact that this cluster is found in the southern constellation of Dorado the Swordfish.  Stars within constellations are generally designated from brightest to faintest by the letters of the Greek alphabet;  hence, Alpha Centauri is the brightest star in the constellation of Centaurus.  The designation “NGC” identifies it as a member of the New General Catalog of faint non-stellar objects.  The more informal name “Tarantula Nebula” arose from its general appearance in small telescopes or binoculars.  Personal listings can also become widely accepted in astronomy,  such as in the case of the Charles Messier catalog, or this list by Paul Hodge.

He counts the number of stars; He gives names to all of them...His understanding is infinite. (Psalm147:4,5)

The God of the Old Testament is revealed as a God who loves to name things. Day, night, Earth, seas, Adam, Israel…all these are names the Lord chose for His creations. Jesus, as recorded in the New Testament, also seems to have enjoyed special nicknames for His friends.  Cephas He called Peter (rock); Thomas, was Didymus (twin) and He nicknamed the brothers James and John the “Sons of Thunder,” evidently a comment on the personality of their father, Zebedee.  This little poem is just a contemplation of this very intimate aspect of God’s transcendent, and omniscient (all knowing) nature.  Surely He who named all the stars  has a special name for each of us.
 

What Matter Is So Strange as This?

Photo by Kevin Hartnett

What matter is so strange as this,

At once both near, yet far away?

I think upon His Kingdom come,

And watch intently for the Day.

-- K. Hartnett, February 2000

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:15)

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ… (Philippians 3:20)

Comet Hyakutake - a Celestial Close-Encounter

One of the brightest comets to appear in the last half of the twentieth century, Comet Hyakutake will be remembered by most city dwellers as a diffuse, hazy blob in the spring 1996 sky.  But for those living in more rural areas, this celestial spectacle will not be soon forgotten.  Equal in size to the Big Dipper on the sky, Hyakutake's long single tail swept straight back from its head, or coma, which itself was as large as the full moon.  The memorable appearance was due in fact to the comet's "close" passage to the earth, rather than by the comet's actual size, which was quite small.  Passing only 9 million miles away, this encounter was at only one tenth the distance between the Earth and the Sun.  Had Comet Hale-Bopp, an intrinsically much larger comet, passed this close, it would have been easily seen in broad daylight.

…then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30)

Certain theologians describe the kingdom of God as the “already, but not yet.”  This paradoxically describes the fact that with the inauguration of the church by Christ, certain aspects of His ultimate kingdom, such as peace with God and sacrificial care for one another, have already begun.  The true fulfillment of the kingdom, of course, won’t occur until the king Himself returns- something that Christ promised.  This poem plays off the idea that Comet Hyakutake passed astronomically “close” to the earth, when in reality it was still millions of miles away.  God’s kingdom is “at hand,” as Christ taught,  yet still some distance hence.
 

God Knows What You'll See!

Photo credit: NASA, ESA, HEIC, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Climb the rugged mountain;

Find a flower there.

Probe the deepest ocean;

See its creatures stare.

Magnify the atom;

Tell what parts there be;

Gaze ye into heaven;

God knows what you’ll see!

-- K. Hartnett, November 1999

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!  For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.  To Him be the glory forever!  Amen. (Romans 11:26)

The Cat's Eye Nebula - Unexpected Beauty

Located in the northern constellation of Draco the Dragon, NGC 6543 - the Cat’s Eye Nebula- is classified as by astronomers as a planetary nebula.  The term is historic, rather than functional, since these objects have nothing to do with planets.  Early telescopes found their disk-like shapes similar to that of the solar system planets and hence the name stuck.  Today’s telescopes reveal astounding structure and diversity among these objects.  Until very recently, planetaries were thought to be relatively well-understood shells of gas emitted from unstable stars.  As seemingly repeated in every corner  of God’s creation however, simple explanations do not carry the day.  The complex dynamics of multiple, co-rotating and out gassing stars with powerful radiation and sweeping magnetic fields are now thought to be responsible for these celestial masterpieces.

The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament proclaims His handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)  

God’s creation is full of intricacy and surprises everywhere.  Take any one piece of nature- even a single blade of grass- and one could spend a lifetime discovering the processes that govern it.  This poem celebrates the wonderful, God-honoring truth that men will forever be astounded at the  power and creativity of God.  Who among men would have foreseen the Cat’s Eye nebula?