Forced Ingenuity

Created in the image of God, it seems that we bear the marks of the Maker: we are designers, makers and crafters. We are artists.

Forced into thinking outside the box, we are seeing people come up with ideas that are truly new, unique and exciting! Today’s world has curbside pick-up, drive-in church services, meals and other food options provided for those in need, hair stylists offering online tutorials, grocery stores waiving delivery charges, and movie theaters selling popcorn. The Summer months will likely feature more of the same, and I think this is good. Desiring a sense of normalcy isn’t wrong. But, we would also be wise to see that new and glorious things can come from strife.

God’s people have been displaced:  Adam and Eve left the Garden; the Israelites spent time in the wilderness; the Kingdom of Judah was exiled to Babylon; the early Christians hid in the catacombs; and, we…have experiences of our own that are unsettling and uncomfortable, requiring innovation, patience, and trust.

Jeremiah 29:11 is the familiar (to many) passage that is often shared at graduation ceremonies or baccalaureate services. It reads: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a purpose.” These are words spoken to people IN exile. They’re not in a place of normalcy, but of challenge, taken from their homeland into Babylon. Pulling them out of context ignores the rest of God’s instruction for their time in Babylon:

“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens an dear their produce.
            [Have families.]…multiply there, and do not decrease. But, seek the welfare of the city…

and pray to the LORD on its behalf.”

Even outside of the norm, the LORD commands creative work: build, live, plant, grow, seek, and pray. In many respects, nothing changes in the role of the Christian, regardless of the age or era. We are to always be about these things.

God knows our tendency is to simply go back to the way things were, or live out our days pining for it. But, instead, He tells us to live to the fullest, and do new things in whatever situation we’re in! Really, He’s pretty okay with us living this way all the time, but we don’t move and shake without being moved and shaken in the first place.

That was true of the first disciples who needed the Holy Spirit to rush in like a mighty wind (the Festival of Pentecost is coming up on May 31, by the way) before they took action to live their faith. It’s true for us today.

So, while I’m never excited for someone to die…I know that God brings life out of death. And, while I am not happy for the world to be shaken…I know that God brings artistry out of adversity. In our busy lifestyles, the preachers all remind us to be still. But, now, it’s time to look around and see what still needs to be done, and figure out how to do it. Together, we work and thank our Creator, Redeem and Sanctifier for enabling us to serve and love – as He has first served and loved us.

Pastor James Gomez

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Sturgeon Bay