Artwork – Ephesians 2:10

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

There has been some news coverage of the son of an important government official selling his art work. His handiwork, seemingly talentless works, are being offered for sale at greatly inflated prices with the promise of anonymity for the buyers. It sounds like a great way to launder money and buy access to a powerful father, but who am I to say such things!

Art is a fairly subjective thing. What one person likes, another hates. And the professional art critics seem to be from another planet, moving away from depictions of reality to political and social statements. It seems that the more bizarre the work, the more it is acclaimed. And then the “art” crowd fauns over the piece as if it were a Picasso or a DaVinci.

Our text tells us that we are God’s work of art. Think of this for a moment. The One who created the Universe and all the intricacies of DNA and molecular biology, subatomic forces and the cascading flowers of the Crepe Myrtle in full bloom, calls us His work of art.

And this is not limited to those who meet the standards of Vogue or GQ magazine. The value of God’s artwork is not simply skin deep. You see, God’s handiwork has a purpose, and it isn’t obscene profit!

We are God’s handiwork and our purpose is to do the kinds of things that reflect His character. Our text calls these things “good works.” You see, God’s art work is not something to be hung in a gallery, but something to be used and seen in daily life. God’s art work has a practical purpose.

The LORD doesn’t show up in bodily form too often these days. But in us, He can show up every day. And that is our purpose: show off the LORD through the things that we do. We are the projector through which the LORD projects grace and mercy to the world. What nobler purpose could anyone have?

Just as we need God’s grace and mercy active in our lives, so the LORD has chosen to use us, lowly clay pots, to display His greatness. We need Him, and He has chosen to use us. He is the artist and we are His art.

This has profound implications for the way that we treat each other. We did not come off an assembly line, but from the art studio of the LORD. We are all unique pieces, fashioned by His hands, an expression of His character and purpose. No two works have the same exact purpose and function. We all are to express His character in different ways.

So as we see each other, we must look to see how His character is being expressed through the other. When we look in the mirror, we need to ask ourselves, “How is the LORD’s character being expressed in me and in the way we are living in this world?” We need to stop looking at the clay pot and focus on His character, His grace and mercy being expressed.