Repurposed with Purpose

      This week my family and I had the privilege to celebrate my birthday with a one-day trip to the Great Smoky Mountains national park. The Smoky Mountains belong in my heart as the most sacred of places. The Cherokee knew they were unique and called them the Land of Blue Smoke.     This week the dogwood trees were in bloom. There is a well-known tale in the American South of the dogwood tree. The story goes that Jesus's cross was made from dogwood. The dogwood was the greatest of trees, but because it was used as Jesus's cross, it was cursed and blessed at the same time. It became spindly, yet the flower would become a cross symbol. There are four petals in a cross shape on the tree, and they are tinged with red, the character of blood. They are symbols of Jesus's cross and the shedding of his blood.     Now dogwood trees are not native to Israel, so it is doubtful that the actual cross of  Jesus was made from dogwood.   Yet the lege...

    Today's art is the traditional Navajo bone choker. As the name suggests, the beads in the choker are made from animal bones. Traditionally a master artisan would go out into nature and find the dry bones of an animal, especially those of a bird. Then he or she would shape those bones into beads, often dyeing them with plants. In our case, an unknown artisan probably harvested dry bones to make the beautiful choker you see today. It is an exquisite piece of art that reminds me of the spiritual realities that pervade my existence. Every time I wear it, I am reminded of when God remade something out of dry bones.      In Ezekial 37, God brings Ezekial into a valley of bones. These are the bones of long gone. They are dry without any flesh. Something catastrophic has happened; a battle has brought death, dying, and destruction. Whatever the case of the end, the death of a nation occurs. Enter God, the dramatic master artist. He tells Ezekial to speak to the bone...

                    March overflows with leprechauns, pots of gold, and rainbows. It's to this last thing to which I now turn. No Judeo/Christian symbol is as controversial as the rainbow. Its made deep roots in many cultures, including the American one. For many, it is a political symbol advocating the free expression of an unbiblical lifestyle. Even in a more innocuous way, for us Irish Americans, it's a symbol of our cultural heritage.   Nevertheless, it's more than a cultural or political symbol. Because of years of cultural co-opting, its biblical meaning has yet to be recovered. Here I argue three reasons why Christians should use the rainbow in our preaching, teaching, and worship. 1. God desires peace with all humankind                                    The book of Genesis tells us that God destroyed the w...