TO INFORM AND PERSUADE

As a graphic designer, I can relate to the artisans commissioned to work on God's tabernacle. The very first verse of today's reading describes the principle artist: "I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs . . ." WOW, what a guy!

The detailed descriptions of weavings, mouldings, ornaments, overlays, etc., are extremely interesting to me from a professional perspective. Woo-hoo, God cares about design! God cared so much about aesthetics that he stepped in and laid out the plans for his tabernacle, its furnishings, the priests' garments, everything -- right down to the mixture of incense to burn!

My profession fits under the larger umbrella of advertising, whose mission in this modern age is "to inform and persuade." I apply my training and expertise to the sharing of the gospel, and though you may not consider yourself particularly "artsy," you do too! Whether you know it or not, you employ the very same principle every day in the way you live your life.

You put up posters and pass out pamphlets all over the place. As a matter of fact, you’re a walking media campaign. YOU & I are the temple (see 1 Corinthians 3:16), designed to draw people to God through elegance and exquisite craftsmanship. I do not doubt that a seeker is watching you today as if you were a movie trailer, deciding whether to buy a ticket or walk away.

What does the watcher see? One who notices your kindness to the undeserving, your joy in the face of distress, your love of the unlovely, your patience when interrupted, your unyielding honesty when it would be easy to cheat, or your persistence in prayer, is responding to the message of your life. As Christians, we ALL live under the advertising mantra, to "inform and persuade."

To put it another way, we're SMELLY! See this awesome passage in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16: ". . . God . . . through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." To some people I stink, but to others -- mysteriously -- I smell pretty good! That is God at work calling people to himself, as the odor of my life informs (and hopefully persuades).

My prayer for you is that the Lord will protect and strengthen the testimony of your life that is shown to strangers and kinfolk alike in little snippets all through the day. May he bless your involvements and interactions, both professionally and personally, to fulfill the overarching pursuit of your life's work. Today's message for me is "Hurrah for art!" For you it's, "Hurrah for all you do!" God bless it.