Mosaic

To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
(Jude 1:25 NKJV)

Have you ever looked closely at a mosaic? The amazing picture or pattern you see from a distance becomes very different when you focus on the individual pieces that make up the whole.

Christians have just traveled through this year’s Holy Week and Jews throughout the world are in the middle of their Passover celebrations. Both of these important spiritual events come packed with many, many Biblical stories and traditions – the traditions of millions of families over thousands of years remembering the stories of God. The whole picture of the importance of Holy Week and Passover is held together by the little pieces of what you and I do on a yearly basis. The traditions and actions we take year after year mark us.

The ashes crossed on our foreheads mark us.

The Biblical stories we hear mark us.

The matzah bread and bitter herbs we eat mark us.

The people with whom we spend holidays mark us.

The year-after-year return to the ancient and true stories marks us.

The traditions we receive and hand down mark us.

God marks us.

Why was it that Mary was able to hear from an angel that she – an unmarried virgin – was going to give birth to Messiah? Because the spirit of God had marked her, hearing her prayers, and guiding her heart to be ready and open for God’s call. (Luke 1)

Why was Moses able to face the powerful Pharaoh and tell him to “let my people go?” Because of the encounter with God at the flames of fire in a bush that didn’t burn up. This encounter with the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob – the I AM WHO I AM – left Moses marked with the vision, authority, and strength to help God’s people be freed from their slavery in Egypt. (Exodus 3 & 4)

Why do we do what we do? Because we are marked (in “good” and “bad” ways) by the people, events, circumstances, and voices around us – including God’s voice. Our call from God is to listen to his voice as we assemble the pieces to the mosaic of our lives. And our call is to help others assemble God’s beautiful pieces into their lives. Then the mosaic of our many lives develops into the beauty and grace God desires for us.

What pieces are you choosing today?

Creating God,

Thank you for the beauty and wonder in the Holy Week and Passover stories which we celebrate as reminders of the freedom you have bought for us. Thank you for the many traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation to help us remember your Story and to share with upcoming generations. Thank you for the many people, events, and circumstances that have helped to form us and, especially, for your Voice and Spirit that guide us. Help us to have our spiritual ears attuned to your Voice and to have the courage of Moses and Mary to do what you call us to do and go where you call us to go. Help us to obey your call as we assemble the “mosaic blocks” of our lives. May the pictures you build within us and through us be beautiful and glorifying to you, our Lord. We pray in Jesus’s name, Amen.

“Just as the human body is one, though it has many parts that together form one body, so too is Christ. For by one Spirit we all were immersed and mingled into one single body. And no matter our status—whether we are Jews or non-Jews, oppressed or free—we are all privileged to drink deeply of the same Holy Spirit. In fact, the human body is not one single part but rather many parts mingled into one… God has carefully designed each member and placed it in the body to function as he desires. A diversity is required, for if the body consisted of one single part, there wouldn’t be a body at all! So now we see that there are many differing parts and functions, but one body.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-14 & 18-20 TPT)

“At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God’s Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.” (Mark 1:9-11 MSG)

“Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the west end of the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, Horeb. The angel of God appeared to him in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn’t burn up. Moses said, “What’s going on here? I can’t believe this! Amazing! Why doesn’t the bush burn up?” God saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Yes? I’m right here!” God said, “Don’t come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet. You’re standing on holy ground.” (Exodus 3:1-5 MSG)