Turning Rummage into God's Handiwork

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the trash dump; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. "For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; on them he has set the world. (1 Samuel 2:8- part of Hannah's prayer of Thanksgiving for Samuel's birth; quoted in Psalm 113:7 and inferred in Mary's prayer when she found she was pregnant with Jesus).  

Thoughts:  God turns rummage into beautiful works of art.  He takes dust and makes beautiful human life out of it.  Today we had our PW Rummage Sale with hundreds of thousands of old cast away things that people didn't want or need, and turning that into scholarships for students in need, ways to help reach people for Christ or building up the church.  Over a thousand people would come and in the process find out where our church is, encounter a smile, and get an invitation to come back.
     God takes us- castaway by some or even by ourselves- and makes us new.  We who once were far from God- strangers (aliens) to Him are brought near.  We who were rubbish are made precious.  Like a glass artist can take old sand and turn it into beautiful stained glass.  This is the Gospel Message- except that it gets more specific on how He did it.  He came down to us- we rejected Him- treated Him as trash- unworthy to be alive.  But He rose from the dead in part to show us that what we devalue- He values- and He is able to bring new life to old dead things.  Maybe your life is dead- maybe all you valued is gone- and you see yourself as valueless.  He can take that and make it new again.  Trust Him. 

Prayer:  Lord, take my oldness and make it ever-new.  Make beautiful things again out of the dust. 

Watch this youtube video by Gungor: