Today’s Message was written by my friend Rev. Andy Odom.

These days, I feel like anyone who stands up in front of a crowd to give a speech could start off by simply saying, “I’m tired. Are you tired?” and everyone in the crowd would nod and look around and agree that they too are tired. The more I talk to people these days, the more I sense a collective weariness and the feeling of being overwhelmed.

We are busy people. And busy people have always been busy people. That much is true. But it certainly seems to have a heavier weight these days. We turn on the news and it’s one disaster after another, or some looming possible disaster on the horizon. We observe or are part of political discussions that are still just as divided as ever. Our own personal schedules seem to be filling up our day more often than they should. I myself have more on my plate than will be able to get done, and those of you that I speak to say the same thing. At least, it feels that way.

All of this leads me to ask you one simple question. What gives you life? What is one small thing you do that is life-giving rather than life-draining? If all you do every day are things that literally suck the life right out of you, then you’re not going to have much left for yourself or anything else. Take 5 minutes, to answer that one question, “What fills my tank? What gives me life?” And then, find a way to do more of it.

Take more walks, or just go outside for 5 minutes. Call someone that you love. Talk to someone who gives you life. Don’t forget to do the things that restore your soul and that remind you that you are precious in the eyes of God.

Figure out one thing that is life-giving for you, and then don’t forget to do it, and do it often.

Let us pray: God of Grace, help us to find our rest in you. Center us. Ground us. And grant us your peace. Amen. 

Today’s Message was written by my friend Rev. Andy Odom.

Today I want to talk to you about hope. Hope is one of the great earmarks of the Christian faith. The reason for that, of course, is because our entire belief in Jesus Christ is centered around an empty tomb on Easter morning. For us, every day is resurrection day, which is a viewpoint that is saturated with hope.

When Eugene Peterson talks about hope, he describes people with minimal hope as living in drudgery and boredom because they think they know what’s going to happen next. They’ve made their assessment of God, the people around them, and themselves, and they know what’s coming. But people who hope, he goes on to say, never know what’s coming next. They expect it is going to be good because God is good. Even when disasters occur, people of hope look for how God will use evil for good. A person with hope is alive to God.”

In other words, hope is powerful. It is stimulating. It keeps us on our tip toes looking for the unexpected.

That’s what Easter people do. They look for the unexpected because Easter morning is the poster example of something from God that was completely unexpected. 

As you walk through your week, remind yourself that there’s no way to know what’s going to happen next. Look for the good, because God is good. Be expectant of the unexpected.

In Romans 5:5, we read, “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

Let us pray: God of Grace, we are excited to see what you will do next. Help us place our hope in you; through Jesus, we pray. Amen.

I don’t know if you’ve seen the images from the James Webb Space Telescope. Awesome is the only word I know to describe them. It just makes me realize how beautiful and vast the universe is – and it makes me realize that we worship a God who is huge – who created all of this. And even on a smaller scale – sometimes I find myself sitting out on the ocean – looking out at this endless water – and I feel like a speck – so insignificant in the overall scheme of things. 

And then on the other hand, I was in our sanctuary early one morning and I was listening to the song Agnus Dei, Lamb of God. All of a sudden it started to rain outside and I could just feel God stirring my soul. I felt this deep desire to surrender my anxiety – to surrender my life again and I lifted up my hands.

It’s amazing to me to think that the Lord – the Creator of the universe – the Creator of all that is – has created us to be in intimate communion with him – to have this deep connection at a level of the soul. And that God would actually use things like music and rain and silence to draw us closer to the source of life. It is beautiful really when you think about it. 

Today I pray that you would find a moment to stop and rest in God’s giving presence. May you remember that the One who created this vast beautiful universe also created you. And his love for you will never end.

Let us pray: Everlasting God, Creator of the ends of the earth, we claim today the promises of the prophet Isaiah, “You give power to the faint, and strength to the powerless… Even youths will… grow weary… but those who wait for you shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” We wait for you this day. Fill us again from the springs of the river of life, that we would give praise and serve you with all our hearts. Amen.

Over the last two days, we reflected on two master artists from the book of Exodus (chapter 31), Bezalel and Oholiab. Today, I’m going to make a giant interpretive leap here – from their lives to your life and mine.

If we all have this creative ability within us, and I believe we do (even if it has been latent since third grade); then perhaps – just perhaps it is possible to apply this artistic spirit to our everyday lives…

One of my favorite artists John Severson – said that his personal mission statement is this: Make it a beautiful life. Make it a beautiful life for yourself and everyone else you meet. He meant that beyond the art he created, but to make it a beautiful life for himself and others – simply by the way that he lived….  

In 1972, shortly before his death, Abraham Joshua Heschel said in an interview: “I would say to young people a number of things… I would say, let them remember that there is a meaning beyond absurdity. Let them be sure that every little deed counts, that every word has power, and that we can do — every one — our share to redeem the world despite all the absurdities and all the frustration and all disappointments. And above all, remember that the meaning of life is to live life as it if were a work of art. When you are young, start working on this great work of art called your own existence.”

I wonder what it might look like for you to live your life – to craft your life – as though it were a work of art…

I wonder what it might look like for you to make life beautiful not only for yourself but with everyone within your sphere of influence…. 

Well, that’s a huge interpretive leap from these two obscure artists to your life and mine. But, one thing we know for sure from this text in Exodus, is that creativity and imagination and an artistic spirit are an essential aspect of the human spirit – and honored by God. And when we use them, they touch the souls of others.

Today I pray that you and I would continue to appreciate art and artists as a gift from God. And may we recognize within ourselves, the ability to make life around us beautiful for all of those we come in contact with.  

Let us pray: You are the Master Artist, O God. You must truly love us to dazzle us with your handiwork on a daily basis: lofty snow-covered mountains, florescent pink sunsets, flowing cascades In all of this, and in the myriad of plants and animals across the face of the globe, we glimpse something of your creative spirit, a spirit that you have placed in each of us. We give you thanks and praise. Amen.

In the book of Exodus (chapter 31) we encounter a couple of lesser-known guys named Bezalel (bez’-uh-lel) and Oholiab (oh-hoh-lee-ab). They are both artists.

Leading up to this passage, over the course of five chapters, we read in detail the building and artistic design of the Tabernacle, a portable tent-like sanctuary carried by the Israelites on their journey to the promised land. The scripture outlines all the elaborate features of this tabernacle and its furnishings: basins, alters, lamp stands, tables, robes for the priests – all of them beautiful as well as functional. Nothing is overlooked; nothing is haphazard. All of it is to be finely crafted. 

On top of that, we see that God invites imagination and creativity. God instructs them to carve Cherubim – even when no one really knows what a Cherubim look like. And then God speaks to Moses and tells him – we have to have skilled artists to do this. We have to have master craftsmen. And I have just the guy in mind – this guy with the funky name – to take the lead: Bezalel. And then God says, “I have filled him with my Spirit.”  

It’s interesting: The very first person in the Bible who is said to be “filled with the Spirit,” is an artist! Amazing!  

All of this just reminds me of the importance of art in human life and in faith…

Of course, people of faith have known this for a long time. I can’t help but think about the elaborate Cathedrals in Europe: monuments that reflect transcendence and the enormity of the divine Spirit. Think about beautiful stained glass and tapestry. I also think about the poetry of George Herbert and John Dunn. I think about soaring choirs, and anthems that stir the soul.

The capacity of art to draw us out beyond ourselves and to touch the soul is powerful.

Today I give thanks for the arts and artists out there; for music that stirs our spirits; poetry and the visual arts that move us and even challenge us; and for the creative artistic spirit that resides in each of us. These, no doubt, are gifts from God.

Let us pray: You are the Master Artist, O God. You must truly love us to dazzle us with your handiwork on a daily basis: lofty snow-covered mountains, florescent pink sunsets, flowing cascades In all of this, and in the myriad of plants and animals across the face of the globe, we glimpse something of your creative spirit, a spirit that you have placed in each of us. We give you thanks and praise. Amen.