Through Stained Glass: Advent Word a Day -- Repair

Repair 

 My Grandpa Quine could fix anything. 

 I swear. 

 It wasn’t uncommon that when something in the house went awry – the dishwasher, furnace, or anything electrical – we called my Grandpa first. If he couldn’t repair it, we knew we were in trouble. 

 One of my favorite photos of Grandpa shows him and my dad kneeling, tools strewn about, as they look under the blade of my dad’s tractor. It beautifully illustrates his craftsmanship. When I say this man could repair anything, I truly mean it. Once, I had a golf club break, and when he found it in the trash, he brought it home and welded the head back onto the shaft. Admittedly, it broke after just a couple of uses, but I was impressed by his ability to repair it, even if only for a short time. 

 My Grandpa had a way of seeing things and not giving up on them. My dad tells a story of when he was little, and my Grandpa started an archery club for the neighborhood kids. Not for any other reason but to give these kiddos something to do while teaching them lessons about life through archery. And guess what? He even made my dad arrows! ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME!

Advent reminds me that God does not give up on us. Throughout history, as our Christian story has it, God moved toward humanity to bring healing and repair, usually to messes we created. I love what theologian Anne Stewart offers when writing about the Zepheniah reading from Sunday: 

 To this hurting people, God promises a new world: “The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more” (Zephaniah 3:15)…. Not only does God’s presence bring a joy that casts out fear, but it also brings the restoration of justice and aid to the poor: “I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth” (Zephaniah 3:19b). 

God’s presence brings a new way of life in which the way people relate to God and one another is fundamentally different. 

 During Advent, I’ve been looking for joy in relationships, creation, and all the ordinary moments in between. I want to follow my Grandpa’s example and see that what I think is beyond repair can take on new life! 

 I like that Advent, through the writings of the prophets, reminds us that we aren’t broken beyond repair. We can be restored like a broken tractor deck or a golf club. It takes work, though. My Grandpa took time to examine whatever was broken, consider the tools he had, and then execute a well-thought-out plan to repair it. 

 Yes, things are messy. Some of our national policies need fixing. However, the Scriptures remind me that healing can occur with a little imagination, faith as tiny as a mustard seed, and a readiness to undergo repair!