Beautiful Restoration

Welcome to today's encouragement from the Our Daily Bread devotional. I'm Gwen Collier, and I wrote today's reading, Beautiful Restoration. In his wonderful book, Art and Faith, A Theology of Making, renowned artist Makoto Fujimura described the ancient Japanese art form of kintsugi. In it, the artist takes broken pottery, originally teaware, and pieces the shards back together with lacquer, threading gold into the cracks. Kintsugi, Fujimura explains, does not just fix or repair a broken vessel. Rather, the technique makes the broken pottery even more beautiful than the original.

Kintsugi, first implemented centuries ago when a warlord's favorite cup was destroyed and then beautifully restored, became art that's highly prized and desired. Isaiah describes God artfully enacting this kind of restoration with the world. Though we're broken by our rebellion and shattered by our selfishness, God promises to create new heavens and a new earth. He plans not merely to repair the old world, but to make it entirely new. To take our ruin and fashion a world shimmering with fresh beauty. This new creation will be so stunning that past troubles will be forgotten, and former things will not be remembered. With this new creation, God won't scramble to cover our mistakes, but rather will unleash his creative energy.

Energy where ugly things become beautiful, and dead things breathe anew. As we survey our shattered lives, there's no need for despair. God is working his beautiful restoration. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Isaiah chapter 65 verses 16 to 22. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight in its people of joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people.

The sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years. The one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child.

The one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them. They will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people.

My chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. Let's pray. Dear God, please restore us. And as you restore us, make our whole world new. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening today. My name is Win Collier and today's encouragement was brought to you by Our Daily Bread Ministries.