July 28th, 2023
by Ivey Rhodes
by Ivey Rhodes
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
-Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ozymandias
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
-Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ozymandias
You will have to pardon my lack of culture. I first heard this poem in connection with the hit TV show Breaking Bad. One of the final episodes of the show was titled: Ozymandias. To promote the episode Bryan Cranston, the star of the show, recited the poem with his terrifying interpretation.
Ozymandias is the Greek name for Ramesses II. Ramesses II was king of Egypt. In the ancient world, he was about as important as they came. And he must have agreed because he proclaimed himself to be king of kings. Yet, all that was left of this great, significant, and powerful figure was this inscription on a crumbling statue and miles of uninhabited sand.
The poem should cause us to wrestle with our insignificance. If an important person like Ozymandias can be forgotten what hope do we have of being remembered? Not much. Not on our own at least.
Yet this week the Apostle Peter shows us that the most important part of our lives is not how many people remember us here on earth, but that we are known and remembered by our Heavenly Father. Christ is the true King of Kings and our value is found in him. It does not come through constructing our kingdoms of sand, but in recognizing we are loved, chosen, and a part of his eternal royal family.
Join us tomorrow as Peter helps us find significance by building our lives on what matters most.
If you want to hear Bryan Cranston's haunting rendition, watch the video below.
Ozymandias is the Greek name for Ramesses II. Ramesses II was king of Egypt. In the ancient world, he was about as important as they came. And he must have agreed because he proclaimed himself to be king of kings. Yet, all that was left of this great, significant, and powerful figure was this inscription on a crumbling statue and miles of uninhabited sand.
The poem should cause us to wrestle with our insignificance. If an important person like Ozymandias can be forgotten what hope do we have of being remembered? Not much. Not on our own at least.
Yet this week the Apostle Peter shows us that the most important part of our lives is not how many people remember us here on earth, but that we are known and remembered by our Heavenly Father. Christ is the true King of Kings and our value is found in him. It does not come through constructing our kingdoms of sand, but in recognizing we are loved, chosen, and a part of his eternal royal family.
Join us tomorrow as Peter helps us find significance by building our lives on what matters most.
If you want to hear Bryan Cranston's haunting rendition, watch the video below.
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