Last June, he and his wife moved into the parsonage in Lansing. It was several months before the road construction outside the house did not disrupt their lives. Pastor Robert Blanchard reflects.
ROBERT BLANCHARD
Extraordinary Connection
My wife and I moved to Lansing at the end of June to begin my new appointment on July 1, 2020. As we were talking with some of the Leadership Team in preparation for the move, someone said, “Oh, is pastor going to be able to get to the parsonage with the construction going on in front of the house?” The good news was that yes, even though the city was rebuilding our road, we would be able to get to the parsonage.
The less good news is that our road has been closed off for more than two months while it was being worked on. It has been a process of tearing down and building back up. The old road had to be torn away so that a new road could take its place. There was no telling when the work would happen. Days and weeks would pass with no sign of progress, and then all of a sudden, there would be all kinds of machines and equipment rumbling by. There was also no accounting for what time of day the work crews would show up. Some mornings their lights would come flashing through our bedroom windows at 5:30 am, startling us from our sleep. Other nights no one would show up until 5 or 6 in the evening. When it seemed like the work was almost done, there was always just one more step that needed to be done.
Well, this past week, our road finally reopened, and I couldn’t help but think of Paul’s words to the Philippians in the opening of his letter to them. He says in verse 6, “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.”
We are like that road in front of my house, and God is the construction worker who is bringing us more and more into the image intended for us. Just like with that road, God needs to begin the good work in us by first tearing some things down so that we can be built back up. We need to have the imperfections of our brokenness removed: things like pride or self-doubt, anger or hatred, envy, or lust. The list goes on and on, but over time, the world’s sin wears down the image of God that is inherent in us. So, God takes the time to heal us of these imperfections to build us back up.
Then, just like with the work in front of my house, there is no accounting for the Spirit’s movement. Sometimes we can go for days or weeks and feel like we’re just stuck when all of a sudden, the movement comes in and starts rumbling through our souls. Sometimes it might startle us out of our sleep as we feel a sudden conviction or inspiration. Other times the Spirit decides to swing on by while we’re sitting at the dinner table. And then, frustratingly, every time we start to feel like we’re getting near to perfection, every time it seems like we’re making good progress on our sanctification, the Spirit pops in to remind us that there is more work to do.
And that is the case for our road too. It looks as perfect right now as any road can: the lines are fresh and crisp, the blacktop is smooth and without blemish. But that road, and our souls, still exists in an imperfect world. Over time the world will take its toll. The road will need to be redone again as new potholes start to form and new cracks emerge. And our souls will be in constant need of refreshment by the spirit as the forces of sin and death try to lure us away from the image of God in which we are created.
But at the end of the day, when Christ returns in glory, we can rest confident in the knowledge that God will complete the work that has begun in us.
~ Pastor Robert Blanchard serves Lansing First United Methodist Church. Extraordinary Connection is a collaboration of clergy serving churches throughout the United Methodist Connection in Michigan. These online devotions are meant to provide daily encouragement and immersion in God’s word during these most unusual times.
Last Updated on September 20, 2022