MANNA: 12/14/12

2nd Week of Advent

Luke 3:15-17

"He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

While Danielle and I were visiting my family back home in Wheeling, we made a stop at Oglebay Park.  We toured the mansion and glass museum, and got to watch a local artisan blow glass into a beautiful Christmas Tree ornament that we purchased.  It is now a cherished ornament that hangs on our tree.

Our Blown Glass Ornament

Have you ever watched someone blow glass?  I don't think you can fully realize the artwork and the skill that goes into this craft until you actually see someone do it.  Sand is the primary ingredient.  It's heated in a fiery furnace until it forms a molten lava.  Using a long pipe, the blower scoops out of the furnace a glob [that's the technical term, I'm pretty sure.:-)] of this lava.    He then begins his craft.  He blows, and turns...re-heats, molds, blows, turns...over and over, until the idea in the artisan's imagination comes to be.  I remember when the glass blower presented this Christmas ornament to us, the look in his eye was one of pride and joy for what he was able to offer us.  In that moment I realized that this was so much more than another glass ball for our Christmas tree.  This was a gift!


This memory comes to mind when I try to understand what John the Baptist meant by saying that Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  When we're nothing but a shapeless, purpose-less glob in the fiery furnace of life, Jesus scoops us up.  Like a master glass blower, he breathes the Holy Spirit into us, inspiring us and encouraging us to new life.  He then turns, molds, re-heats, blows, turns...day after day, year after year.  Life is series of moments some are heated, some inspired, and some turned.  Through all of life's joys and sorrows, celebrations and failures Jesus is there, God with us, Emmanuel...blowing, turning, molding.  Over time, we begin to become what the Master imagined us to be.

Sometimes...when it's hard to see the miraculous work of God in the gift of our lives, I think it helps to look past our self ..to see the Master still at work.

May you see the Master still at work with you, using fire and the Holy Spirit to craft you with pride and joy.

Blow, turn, re-heat, and mold me, Lord, that your pride and joy might show through me like a cherished ornament.  In Jesus' name.  Amen