On Saturday our oldest son and his dear wife took me to see reproductions of the panels of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo. Instead of traveling to Rome and viewing his ceiling masterpieces from 65 feet below, we were able to go to our own city and walk right up to each individual reproduction panel and survey them at eye level on the vertical plane. What a joy to meander together through large panels of bold colors with powerful-looking figures full of personality engaged in action or thought! The artist depicted individual characters of the Old Testament, Greek legend, and an Apocryphal book apparently caught in a moment of their lives. The prophets were in the act of listening to God. Mothers and fathers were caring for their children. Our original parents were listening to the Serpent. Through his art, Michelangelo has prompted millions to think about God and the Bible. 
It’s clear that we won’t produce works of art admired by millions over six centuries. But it’s also clear that we can still cause others to consider God when our actions, words, and attitudes reflect the principles of Scripture. Our kindness, generosity, forgiveness, honesty, and hope can demonstrate that God is still at work in the world. Each believer has the privilege and duty to display what Jesus is like. As a famous saying goes, “You may be the only Bible someone reads today.” 
We may not be able to create a masterpiece, but we are one! We are God’s masterpiece. We are on display to show off his grace and kindness when we don’t deserve it.
“. . . So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:7,10
We may not be able to paint a classic still life of glowing fruit, but we can display in our lives the fruit of God’s Spirit working in us.
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23
We can show love when others aren’t lovable, joy and peace even when things are going badly, patience when others are annoying, kindness even to mean folks, faith in a time of faithlessness, goodness in an evil culture, gentleness when others are harsh, and self-control when we want to react. This kind of living can’t be condemned! It is a breathing display of what God can do. We cooperate with God by obeying his Spirit when he prompts us to stay away from hatred, anger, harshness, sin, and doubt. God brushes these nasties off us on a daily basis and brushes in glowing strokes of living color enabling us to be his beautiful masterpiece of good fruit.
Just as Michelangelo had a unique way of expressing the stories of God, so each of us is uniquely endowed to express stories about God to those around us. We do this by the way we live: what our priorities are, where we spend our time and money, what we talk about, and how we treat people. God uses our experiences, our personalities, and our skills to enable us to connect with certain people who need to hear our God stories while sharing common ground. You are a unique person who is equipped to connect with other unique people to communicate stories of God. Think of a person you met that you were surprised to find common ground with. Maybe it was discovering you had lived in the same place in the past, or had similar jobs, or you enjoy the same hobby, or even just like the same entertainment. Later you were able to have honest conversations with them about God. We see that He weaves our life stories together with those of others for the good of all.
“God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety . . . “ Ephesians 3:10
Michelangelo was a sculptor when he took on the job of beautifying the chapel ceiling with frescoes. He had to practice the frescoing process making some mistakes along the way. But with persistence and unflagging work, he learned as he went. In the beginning, the proportion of quick lime to water was wrong and the resulting plaster mildewed instead of drying quickly from the inside out. He also had to figure out how to apply the paint powders to the still wet plaster in order for them to be absorbed into the plaster just right. Over time he got more proficient and gained confidence. We also must press on and practice the spiritual disciplines of Bible reading, prayer, and obedience. We make mistakes, but the fact that we recognize our shortcomings and genuinely strive to do better means that God hasn’t given up on us. We get up and work harder to do the right thing. We keep practicing and growing. Our confidence in God increases as we get to know him better and see him help us over and over.
Michelangelo had a harsh, demanding boss who threatened to throw him off the high scaffolding Michelangelo was working on if he didn’t work faster even though he was already working 18-hour days! He constantly felt pressured and unappreciated despite his best efforts. How different our Boss is! Our Boss knows our human limitations and gently helps us accomplish the duties he gives us with constant encouragement along the way. How many times have you been doing the best you could, but still weren’t going to meet the deadline? Yet at the last minute circumstances changed and you were given more time. Here’s an example from my life: I was preparing a meal for guests when someone else needed my time and attention. I took the time to care for them knowing time was running out till our guests would arrive. Then our guests called to say they would be late. Whew! I often say to myself, “I have a kind Boss!”
“Then Jesus said, Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:29-30
It took Michelangelo four and half years to complete the chapel ceiling. It takes a lifetime for God to complete his work in us. We are each a work in progress. Let’s be gentle like Jesus with each other.
“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.” Jude 1:24-25
Fruit still life by a Dutch Old Master artist.
All photos were taken by me with permission at Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel the Exhibition in my city. Visit https://sistinechapelexhibit.com/ for availability in your city.