Word of the Week: Restoration
A few years ago, I spent the summer filling a pulpit in central New York. I could probably write a dozen blog posts with stories and lessons that I learned from that summer. One of those lessons came over dinner with a family in the congregation.
One of the deacons used to restore trucks as his retirement hobby. Specifically, he restored Brockway trucks from the 1950s and 60s, since they used to be this town’s major export. He took me out to his workshop, which looked more like a junkyard to me. The room was filled with a bunch of scrap: bent up frames, rusted hubcaps, dented doors. I have to admit, my first thought was judgmental. “Who would want to collect all this garbage?”
This man turned a corner an opened a door, inviting me to step over a big pile of metal and follow him. I did – and what I saw on the other side was incredible. It was like I took a step back in time. In front of me was a perfectly restored vehicle. I don’t use that word lightly either. He got every detail right. He even went so far as to research the precise paint pattern so he could restore this truck to exactly what it would have looked like when it came off the line. That’s when it hit me. “This is what he does with all the junk.” In my eyes it was broken and used up garbage. In his eyes, it was beauty to be restored.
That’s really the essence of Isaiah 61:1-4, which was the beginning of our Advent sermon series. We look out a world that is an absolute mess, all twisted up by sin. But it’s not just the world out there. If we take a look within, we find the same pile of rusted hubcaps and dented doors. Our world’s a mess. We’re a mess. But God is faithful – and he’s going to restore this world back to the way it was supposed to be. He’s going to restore us.
Have you seen restoration in your life? Though the ultimate promise of restoration is in the future, God is kind. He starts his work the moment we come to life through faith in Jesus. Are there old sinful patterns that you’ve been able to break? Have you seen strained relationships start to heal? All of these are reasons to praise God. Christmas reminds us that God has given us the gift of restoration in Jesus.
Are there places you’re still waiting for restoration? Maybe it’s a chronic illness that you’ll carry for the rest of your life. God’s going to restore these things too. Christmas also reminds us that we have a gift coming our way. We’re just waiting to receive it. Jesus came, but he’s also coming back. And when he comes again, he’s going to finish his work of restoration. There will be no trace of sin left anywhere. While we wait, hope in God. No one else can bring the restoration for which we hunger.