Broken Toys Fixed Here

Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us! Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. (Psalm 85:4-7 ESV). Christmas and children go together with toys of all shapes and sizes. I remember the many hours spent on Christmas Eve assembling that one special gift “from Santa.” One evening that little project turned into a four hour marathon trying to get every screw and bolt with every cable assembled on a bicycle for one of the boys. I was one tired “Santa” the next morning! Inevitably, those toys break and need repair. One year for my birthday Faith and Logan gave me a sign to hand on my workbench. It simply said, “Grandpa’s Workshop… Broken Toys Fixed Here.” Well, there have been times I have restored some toy or stuffed animal to its original best. The first time I sewed a stuff animal back together for Faith, she said, “Grandpa can fix anything.” Well, I was proud of that moment; and, certainly didn’t feel that it was an appropriate time to correct her! However, the truth is I can’t. There are some things I simply can’t fix. Spiritually speaking, our eternal destiny is one of those things I cannot fix. Only Jesus can do that. That is the message of Christmas. The psalmist understood that as he wrote our reading today. Psalm 85 is a prayer for deliverance. It speaks not only on behalf of individuals but is also a group lament: “Restore us again, O God of our salvation” (v. 4). It is a cry for help, for the salvation of the community. Where does this salvation come from? It comes from the voice of God. “Let me hear what the Lord God will speak,” says the psalmist. Our God is a God who speaks. In the church we call this revelation. What God speaks, suggests the psalmist, will bring peace to his people. That is how we will know it is God’s voice. Advent is a season when we wait for the revelation of God. It is when we anticipate God speaking to us in such a way that it will bring us peace. God’s peace-bringing revelation is Jesus. Jesus is the Word of peace that God speaks to all creation. Peace means more than the absence of conflict. In the Bible, peace is shalom, a communal webbing together of God, humanity, and all creation in a flourishing of justice, fulfillment, and delight. It is far more than an individual experience. It is a communal reality ordered and made possible by the Word God has spoken to a world crying for help. God’s workbench was erected on Calvary and he fixed it all that day long ago!