As I sit at my computer I see the first touch of Winter assailing the ground.
As a child I remember the extreme unadulterated joy of the first snow. As I age I think of all the snow means for me now… gray skies, the fact that my snowblower is not ready for Winter, namely snow means work. We become used to the cycles of the seasons. We become familiar with life. We are no longer in wonder, but in work. How we change, how life changes. And yet the seasons come and go sunrise and sunset…one every day.
In our adult Bible study we have just passed the section in Job where God reveals the grandeur of his creation (Job 38 and 39) God seems to be quite proud and excited about the His creation. Does God get bored with the cycles of the seasons with each sunrise and sunset? I think not. I truly appreciate the wisdom of GK Chesterton in his book “Orthodoxy”, when it comes to this matter. “Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again, until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon.
It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
I think sometimes we feel that we may bore or exhaust the patience of God with our cycles.
What cycle to I refer too? Sin and grace. We sin daily. We know that some of our sins are more intentional then others. We know we must daily even hourly repent. I think part of us wonders if God just gets tired of it all, annoyed by the monotony and predictability of our sin.
No! Jesus’ teaching in Luke 15 about the parties in Heaven, over sinners that repent, is for you and for me! Even though we sin and repent daily, hourly, even moment by moment! Perhaps that is why the book of Revelation describes Heaven as one perpetual wedding feast party! God takes Joy in the glory of His creation, but even more so God takes joy over you! Joy in fact that He can continually, with a great deal of predictability and monotony, lavish His grace, forgiveness and love on you!
May God the Father of all creativity grace and awe, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus that we may rejoice in the things he rejoices in.