Rachel Starr Thomson

Much of what we did in BC was perform as part of the Aha Concerts in Surrey and Vancouver. Put together by the marvelous Russ and Sandy Rosen, they were singing, moving, colorful mosaics of music and dance and culture :). We didn’t realize that 100 Huntley St had covered them until we stumbled across this online, so I will let video (and Sandy Rosen) speak.

(The poet who says “Are these chains?” in a pained voice is me. The dancer in blue and black is Carolyn. We were performing “Dream,” our piece on deliverance and getting “back to the garden.”)

Remember my post about how God made Jesus perfect?

Yesterday in Hebrews 13:20-21 (yes, I just finished the book), I read this:

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Now, Hebrews is very clear that Jesus’ sacrifice has already perfected us in the sense of wiping away our sins and giving us the right to enter God’s presence, both now (through prayer and a life of faith) and in eternity.

So why, the perverse mind asks, do we need to be made perfect in good works? Why would we want to? Why undergo chastening, difficulty, doubt, challenges? Why bother becoming mature and pleasing to God if He’s accepted us already anyway?

There are so many ways to answer that question. But here’s what jumps out to me:

The result of Jesus’ being “made perfect” even though He was already God’s Son was salvation offered to the entire world, the conquering of death and hell, the robbing of the devil’s power. It was my life. It was your life. It was all that is good and glorious.

If God wants to also put us through a perfection process, teaching us to obey and please Him in practical everyday life, you can bet there’s glory on the other side. You can bet that God’s purposes are bigger than we see now. Why bother becoming perfect? Because perfection in good works is what God made us for. It’s what makes us fully human, fully alive. It’s glory, power, pleasing, joy, and incredible relationship.

The perverse human mind asks such silly questions.

Yesterday I intended to blog, but didn’t because I was fatigued. I had just driven in from Toronto, after being in Niagara, after being in Vancouver, and I was bushed. Still am, but I’m fairly jazzed up on coffee at the moment. This is good, seeing as I have a LOT of work to catch up on.

Still, life = crazy is a normal equation for me, and for all my siblings, and thankfully for Carolyn as well. We were raised crazy. That is, our lives were never especially settled, smooth, or predictable. Our parents followed God’s call down strange and wonderful paths, made some mistakes along the way, and taught us to roll with the punches.

This really came in handy in Vancouver. When Carolyn and I landed in Abbotsford, there had been a mix-up and no one was there to pick us at the airport. We waited a few hours, but hey, no problem! I marked a lot of extra papers in the time. Our performing schedule changed daily, but that was really no biggie either. (We found it all pretty relaxing because there was always someone else telling us what to do.) Our transportation got messed up a lot, but the worst we ever had to do was wait and make a few phone calls at a pay phone.

My point is that I’m grateful for all the craziness growing up, for the training in flexibility, adaptability, and a general attitude of believing that things will work themselves out. They do. And God is still in control, so stress is ultimately pretty pointless.

Now to apply that philosophy to the home front as I catch up on work and deal with some financial snags …