Encounter: Meditate on 2 Cor. 3:18 in The Voice translation & John 15:16-17, Isaiah 43:1, and Psalm 139:13-18.
Recently I joined a Facebook group whose focus is shelling on the beaches of Sanibel Island. Since my trip to this beautiful place comes up in a week, I thought it would give me a head start on my own adventures and the best times and locations to find the most unique shells. I noticed someone mentioned sea glass. I called Lori Ledbetter, who is touted by her family as an amazing “shellinator,” and asked if she had come across any sea glass on their many trips to Sanibel and sure enough she sent me some photos and even a little bag full of these small shards for me to place on the altar during lent as a picture of how God molds our lives.
Sea glass has intrigued me since coming across them in an Ash Wednesday reflection which I used during the service last week. The meditations remind us to see our lives with God as this kind of broken glass. An unknown author writes, sea glass is…
“Ordinary pieces of tableware or beer or soda bottles flung into the ocean. Years pass, or decades, and then one day, there it is upon the shore; a small shard from one of those long ago discarded objects. Shifting currents have rounded its edges; abrasion has polished its surface; exposure to the sun has altered its hue. And so, when we happen upon it, here amidst the shells and seaweed, we can’t help but laugh with joy at what seems a miracle: this ordinary fragment of silica that time and adversity have transformed into something beautiful.”
Time and adversity…making something beautiful out of something that is seen as ordinary and broken, is now transformed into a precious piece of glass that reflects the light through unique hues the color of the rainbow.
This is the journey we are on. As in the life of Mary, Peter, Nicodemus, Matthew and Andrew, in Episode 1 of The Chosen we see how Jesus encouraged people to open up about their lives as part of the transformation that would take place as a Masterpiece in progress. He walked alongside of them and as He spoke…
“…His words transcend circumstances and break down barriers. They light up dark corners, removing fear, doubt, and self-preservation. They bring clarity and elevate our understanding of what’s real, true, and important. They take us from completely missing our purpose to seeing in neon that our only reason for being is to follow the one who spoke us into being.” (from The Chosen 40 Days with Jesus Devotional).
Like sea glass ordinary and broken transformed into something beautiful, Mary says to Nicodemus, “Here is what I can tell you. I was one way and now I am completely different” and the thing that happened in between was Him.
That is what happens when Jesus calls your name. Can you hear Him calling yours?
One of the Chosen,
Pastor Tammy
Reflect: Think about shifting currents, abrasions, exposure, adversity. When in your life have you been impacted by these types of challenges and how did it change you? How did it change your faith? Which of the flawed but still called characters in The Chosen do you identify with the most? Do you feel worthy of being called by Jesus?
Encourage: Picture those around you as ones who are going through the sea glass transformative process. None of us are God, so we can let that expectation go, but tell a friend in your small group or family member how you see their life being transformed from something ordinary to someone altogether different. What would you say to someone who is confident in their own goodness and self-sufficiency like Nicodemus or someone who feels unworthy of Jesus’ love like Mary?
Gather: Join the new Zoom study on The Chosen Interactive Bible Study that begins February 22nd, hosted by Diane Russell and Pastor Tammy, or ask your small group to do the study during Lent.