Introduction
I invite you to pause and think about your day-to-day work. If you had to choose one instrument — one piece of equipment — that would describe your day-to-day work, what would you choose? Perhaps a tractor, truck, or ute; a wretch, phone, pen; a broom, dish cloth, wooden spoon, saucepan, or nappy bag?
God works through many different means, but the main instrument of his work is his Word. God creates through his Word. God accomplishes his will by Word alone. One of the early church fathers, Bishop Irenæus of Lyons in France (circa 200 AD), says that the Word is one of the ‘hands’ of the Father. “For by the hands of the Father, that is, by [the Word] and the Holy Spirit, [humankind] was made in the likeness of God.” (Against Heresies, Book V, Chapter VI).
Today I want to briefly unpack four ways God works through his hands — in particular his Word. We’ll look at four things that God creates by his Word.
1. God created the heavens and earth through his Word
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:3).
The psalmist in Psalm 33 declares that God is the Maker of the entire universe — the heavens and the earth. “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth [i.e. the Spirit]. … Let all the earth fear the LORD, … for he spoke, and it [the earth] came to be.’ (Psalm 33:6,8,9). Heavens and earth, Word and Spirit.
Or as John simply says, “Through him all things were made.” (John 1:3).
Stop for a moment and consider the immensity and inclusiveness of these statements. Let’s start small and work our way out: quarks, electrons & atoms, molecules; microbes & bacteria, cells in your body; tiny insects, animals, birds, trees on which you sit; the dirt on which the foundations of the church building rest, this land & country, the tectonic plate under the country; the entire earth, the moon, all the planets in our solar system, the sun, the nearby stars and planets, the Milky Way, and beyond — the entire universe was made by God. God made heaven and earth, all things, by his Word. By the breath of his mouth, he spoke and it was.
2. God creates life through his Word
When God had created the entire universe, he wasn’t finished yet! Because he works by speaking, this means he’s a relational and personal God. So he created human life to relate with. He took the dust of the earth and spoke his Word — breathed in his breath and Spirit — to create a living creature, you! God created you, your body, and your life. This is the second thing God creates through his Word — life.
Stop for a moment and marvel at your body. Your body is made up of seven billion billion billion atoms (7 followed by 27 zeros!). Your hands receive signals from your brain at 120 m/s. Your hands can pick up the instruments of your work, and in turn create and work.
Yet God created more than just biological life. There’s something more to ‘life;’ life is more than the sum of its parts. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:3). God creates true life by his Word, life to the full.
The fact is, as amazing as your body may be, it was born into bondage, shackled by sin and death from conception. This corrupted world is dark. St Paul says the world is groaning in pain (Romans 8:22). Have you recently experienced this bondage, this corruption, this suffering, pain, or darkness?
The good news is that “in [the Word] was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness.” (John 1:4–5). Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, is the life and light of world. Jesus continued to speak and be God’s Word. He once said, “I have come that [you] may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). As he hung on the cross dying, the Word made flesh said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). God says that his saving work is accomplished through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ — the Word made flesh — God creates true life for all who believe, all who trust in his Word.
3. God creates peace through his Word
After being buried and rising, the risen Jesus appears to his disciples in a locked room and says (twice), “Peace be with you” (John 20:19,21). This is the third thing that God creates through his Word — peace.
These days very few professions use word alone as their instrument of work. There are very few who create something with just words. When a judge says, “You are not guilty,” they have created a free person. When a monarch says, “I pardon you,” or “I grant you this honour,” they have created a pardoned or honoured person.
Every worship service God creates peace through his Word alone. We come to God and corporately confess our sin and brokenness. We cry out, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). Because the Word made flesh has finished his work on the cross, the pastor announces the forgiveness of sin (absolution). God says, “I declare that your sins are forgiven, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.” By his Word alone, God declares you not guilty, freed, pardoned, honoured, and at peace with him. By Word alone God creates peace and joy inside you, he restores your salvation.
4. God creates you for good works
Lastly, God creates you for a reason. “For we are God’s handiwork [artistic workmanship], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10).
By his Word, God has created you as his handiwork — like a clay pot crafted by the Potter for a purpose, like a poem written by the Poet to move others, like a song composed by the Master to inspire others. Because Christ has created true life in you, because you have been declared not guilty and made at peace with God, everything you do is part of God’s handiwork. You and all your good works are part of God’s creative purpose.
Think back to the instrument of your work. Through your instrument, God invites you to be a co-creator with him. Through the good works you do through your instrument of work, you play part of the tune for the symphony that God is composing. As the Poet God writes his masterpiece, he weaves together each of your stories and day-to-day work. What good work has God created for you this week? How will God use you this week to sing and play and create as he makes his kingdom come?
Blessing
As you go about your work this week, know that all things were made by the Word of the LORD. May you work and enjoy the earth created through this Word. May the death and resurrection of the Word made flesh create new life and peace in you, now and always. May you do the good works God has created for you. As you play your instrument of work, may he compose his symphony and make his kingdom come. Amen.
