Merry Christmas and happy New Year everyone!
Recently, I've been trying to view the my life, the world, God and relationships through the lens of creativity and the creative process-- that's really what this blog is about. And over the past few weeks, given the holiday season, it has struck me that every year many of us celebrate, what I would consider, one of the most creative moments in our history.
You see there's a problem with this world and our lives. We sense this problem at one level or another--deep down, we have a hunger for the transcendent. We have a longing for eternal things. We were created in the image of God and ultimately, we have a desire to know and be known by Him. But stuff just seems to get in the way. We get in the way. There seems to be a chasm between us, people tied up by our own selfishness, fear, excuses and brokenness, and this God, who is by definition loving and perfect. Even when altruistic activities appear in our lives, self-glorifying motivations always seem to be at the core of them. We are hostage to our depravity. We're stuck and without hope to find freedom no matter what we seem to try.
But God had a rescue mission for us.
And the sheer brilliance and elegance of this plan is breathtaking and awe-inspiring.
I'm talking about the moment many of us celebrate every December. When God came to us in a form that we could understand and relate with, came to us as a fellow human being, fully man and fully God (and no, I don't know how that works either) in the person of Jesus of Nazareth over 2000 years ago.
This Jesus lived a perfect life, loved extravagantly, and taught with wisdom and authority that had been unknown at the time and ever since. This Jesus healed the sick, forgave broken people of their faults, set people free from spiritual oppression and stilled the wind and chaotic waters at a single command.
This Jesus was a king. Many around him recognized that and wanted to crown him and let his fame and power rise within the earthly systems of the time. But, it turned out this Jesus was the best kind of king, the kind that would do anything to serve his people, even to the point of death. And that was the path he chose instead.
And God showed his love for us that while we were still broken and sinful people, he died for us.
And this Jesus was put to death as an innocent man. As he was dying, he showed the absolute loving character of God and the desire to draw everyone to himself once more by asking this of God his Father: "Forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
This was and is the ultimate example of purest love.
But the story doesn't end there...
This is also the Jesus that could not be held down by the grave. This is the Jesus who rose from dead as evidenced by an empty tomb and an impressive number of verifiable eyewitnesses and accounts. This is the Jesus that commissioned his followers to spread the news of his love and speak life into this hurting world. This is the Jesus that will come again to make all things right and bring the kingdom of heaven fully to earth.
This is Jesus: the king, the savior, the one whom I trust with my life. This is Jesus who I am dearest friends with, who will never leave me and in whom I put my hope.
If creative gifts are for the purpose of revealing truth, celebrating life and serving and loving others, which I believe them to be, who could we point to as a more creative person than this Jesus?
Friends, is this the Jesus you know?
Much love and many blessings this new year.
-Michael
No comments:
Post a Comment