Love Mercy, Do Justice April 2023 Scripture Reflection
A significant piece of pottery broke when I hosted a play date with some preschoolers. It’s still in the same condition as when I first found it; broken pieces scattered around the main piece. Some might see this pottery piece and think it’s worthless now that it’s broken. Some others might see this piece and are able to see beyond the brokenness and find the beauty in the cracks, breaks, and imperfections.
I’ve purchased a kintsugi kit to put it back together. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. It treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.
God saw humanity’s brokenness before the creation of the world. He didn’t leave us without a solution for repair. Jesus was sent to make us new. Jesus took the initiative to come down to us while we were yet sinners. Jesus gives us a new story.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18.
May we recognize the areas in our life that have been restored by God and allow these stories to be heard. May we love in a way that values the brokenhearted and seek to hear their stories. May we recognize the ways our stories are more alike than we think.
Lord, help us to see the broken systems in the world and seek to empower those who are crushed in spirit and allow for new stories to be told.