(Read Exodus 35-36)
Roy was the envy of little boys. He was a long-time member of his Lutheran church. Earlier in life, Roy had served as a soldier in Germany after World War II. Now retired, he drove a pickup truck with all sorts of tools in the back. When something broke at church or the parsonage, Roy came with his truck and tools to fix it. Roy seemed to know how everything worked and how to make repairs.
I’m sure you all know a Roy or two in your congregation. Or maybe it’s a Shelly, who knows how to repair garments that are torn or can sew a new gown for her pastor when his wears out.
The gifts God gives His Church on earth are not limited to the man in the front of church on Sunday morning or the woman in front of the classroom during the week. Paul reminds all of us that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
God’s Son did the hard work of saving us through the wood, nails, and blood of the cross. God then worked a mighty thing in us when He brought us from the blindness of unbelief to faith in His Son. With our eyes of faith, we now see that we can use our different gifts, abilities, and interests for His glory and the good of His people. God has prepared us for this. We are His workmen and women.
This has always been the case in His Church on earth. After God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He established new worship laws for His people. Part of that worship required a Tabernacle, Ark of the Covenant, and priestly garments.
God could have miraculously provided these things, but He didn’t. Instead, God involved His people in this work of the church. God had prepared men and women beforehand with skills to be able to do these good works. “Every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.” (Exodus 35:25) Just like the Shelly at your church, God gifted these women to prepare fabric for the Tabernacle and the priests.
And like your Roy, the Lord had prepared a project manager named Bezalel for this important work. “He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft.” (Exodus 35:31-33) Furthermore, Moses writes that the Lord inspired Bezalel with the ability to teach others to join him in doing the work.
Isn’t this remarkable? God prepares opportunities for you to do work in His kingdom. It might be mowing the lawn at church, keeping track of attendance, or preparing spreadsheets. It might be making banners for church, or the simple joy of keeping the communion ware shiny and clean.
Praise be to God Who not only calls us into His Church by grace, but then also equips us to serve Him and our fellow believers. Thank God for Roy, Shelly, Bezalel, and you: God’s workmen and women!
is pastor of Berea Lutheran Church in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.