Returning to Beauty

“… to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.”

(Isaiah 61:3, ESV)

After the 2015 wildfire in Rock Creek (where we used to live), I was quite taken with the ways in which life came back within the fire zone. Here is a picture Marijka took of the lupins the following year; you can see the burnt trees in the background with the spread of flowery colour in front.

In the same way, the verse above promises beauty will come from the ashes. God is at work within us, redeeming us, loving us … and no matter what has marked our lives, He will and can work through us to build others up. We, as individuals, families, and a church, avail ourselves to Him as vehicles of restoration in the lives of others.

As a church, we meet tomorrow evening to consider the ways we are working to do this and potential opportunities for us in the future. We have been adjusting our by-laws and Ministry Teams so we can do this better. We, as NCC, desire to be effective in building the kingdom of God in our lives, in our community, and our world.

May we be the “lupins” that reveal the life of Christ when all around seems ash!

Pastor Ryan