I truly enjoy painting. I’m not talking about the artistic kind, as in watercolors or oil or acrylic. I have never taken an art class; maybe I will or should someday. I love doing paint-by-number kits. They are so relaxing and therapeutic, and then you have a worthy finished product. My first paying job was painting houses with my dad on weekends. The worst part, as in all painting jobs, was the prep work. Bleach, steel wool, wire brush, and scraper to remove all the old so that new coat(s) of paint can be applied.

Ten years later, while my wife Debbie was pregnant with our daughter Amy, I re-did Debbie’s old infant chest of furniture. For the first time I was “going solo” on wood. The worst part, as in painting, was the prep work. Stripping away the old stain, paint, and varnish. My first and only attempt at furniture restoration confirmed that my older cousin is the go-to guy for that stuff!

Many DIY projects require a lot of stripping down to the barest level. Whatever existed previously is re-constituted or completely scrapped. Starting anything new is a daunting, even fearsome task. I have never been a great self-starter. Give me the step-by-step roadmap, instructions, or recipe, please.

For some, new life in Christ Jesus is a personal restoration project. Lots of prep work and stripping away the old nature. For all of us, though, our baptism performs the same way. By the Holy Spirit’s inbreaking power, the old Adam or Eve is re-born. Sin and death will never have permanent dominion from that point forward. With church, I think, hope, and pray that we will get down to the most basic element: that we are bound together to experience the living God. Together we move into the promises of hope and salvation that can never be given in this world. We can make the kingdom of heaven come alive in others as we strip away the old paint, the old wood stain. We can be revealed as we truly are, as we were meant to be. The unconditional love of God desires this re-birth and renewal for all His human creatures.

Pastor Art