WEBVTT 00:00.800 --> 00:04.700 In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 00:05.000 --> 00:05.600 Amen. 00:06.900 --> 00:09.300 Many of you are familiar with the names of C.S. 00:09.300 --> 00:11.000 Lewis and J.R.R. 00:11.000 --> 00:11.700 Tolkien. 00:12.600 --> 00:16.900 I don't know if you were familiar with another named, Dorothy Sayers. 00:17.800 --> 00:23.500 She too belonged to that Circle of literary conversationalist known as 00:23.500 --> 00:24.500 the Inklings. 00:26.200 --> 00:26.500 C.S. 00:26.500 --> 00:27.500 Lewis, J.R.R. 00:27.500 --> 00:34.800 Tolkien and Dorothy Sayers. Whereas Tolkien wrote fantasy books 00:35.100 --> 00:36.900 Lord of the Rings, and C.S. 00:36.900 --> 00:42.700 Lewis wrote novels and apologetics. Dorothy Sayers wrote Mysteries and 00:42.700 --> 00:47.000 detective stories between World War one and World War Two. 00:48.000 --> 00:52.800 She also wrote books reflecting on her Christian faith. 00:54.400 --> 00:59.000 In two of them, the "Whimsical Christian" and the "Mind of God", 01:00.000 --> 01:05.099 she reflects on two types of minds or suggest that there are two types 01:05.099 --> 01:06.800 of minds in the world. 01:07.600 --> 01:12.800 There is the problem solving mind and there is the creative mind. The 01:12.800 --> 01:13.700 problem-solving 01:13.700 --> 01:16.600 mind looks at the world and sees problems to be solved 01:16.600 --> 01:23.800 much like detectives trying to solve a mystery or those on CSI or NCIS 01:24.100 --> 01:29.400 trying to identify the perpetrator of a crime. Or someone trying to 01:29.400 --> 01:29.800 solve 01:30.000 --> 01:34.600 the problem of a crossword puzzle or an algebra equation. 01:36.000 --> 01:41.900 The creative mind sees the world as the stuff out of which to make 01:42.000 --> 01:48.900 something new and maybe stuff that is bad or tragic out of which you 01:48.900 --> 01:54.400 make something new and good. It may be taking stuff that is already 01:54.400 --> 01:59.600 good flour, buttermilk, eggs 02:00.100 --> 02:04.100 I think oh and blueberries to make blueberry pancakes. 02:06.500 --> 02:14.400 Well, when I think about it, our God is one, who is has a creative 02:14.400 --> 02:14.900 mind. 02:16.100 --> 02:17.600 After all, that's what defines him. 02:18.100 --> 02:19.100 He is a creator. 02:20.300 --> 02:23.400 He creates because he wants to crete. 02:24.400 --> 02:29.700 He's a Creator and recreator always making something new. 02:31.100 --> 02:35.900 So, even when he sends Jesus into the world for our sin, keep in mind, 02:36.800 --> 02:38.600 our sin was not God's problem 02:39.000 --> 02:40.100 it was our problem. 02:42.100 --> 02:47.600 And yet God sent him Jesus into the world and out of Jesus death, and 02:47.600 --> 02:53.800 Resurrection, created something new, a new life and eternal life. New 02:53.800 --> 02:56.100 bodies Immortal bodies. 02:57.100 --> 02:59.200 A new Heaven and a new Earth. 03:00.400 --> 03:03.300 And the same thing, I think applies in this text that we have before 03:03.300 --> 03:09.300 us. I can't help but imagine that those early Christians, those early 03:09.300 --> 03:14.800 Jesus confessors were somewhat distraught, perhaps distressed, perhaps 03:14.800 --> 03:20.400 dismayed at the persecutions that took place under the hand or the 03:20.400 --> 03:22.700 direction of a guy named Saul. 03:23.900 --> 03:26.500 Persecutions that threatened the growth 03:27.700 --> 03:30.400 of the Christian confession. 03:31.600 --> 03:36.300 And yet what does God do? I would say something that's pretty creative. 03:37.500 --> 03:41.500 He takes this as Paul describes himself 03:41.500 --> 03:45.800 blasphemer, a persecutor and insolent opponent. 03:47.300 --> 03:48.600 And makes an apostle. 03:50.000 --> 03:52.600 Saul becomes Paul. 03:53.600 --> 03:55.500 And not only does he do that 03:56.500 --> 03:58.500 but he then makes Paul an example 04:00.200 --> 04:07.500 as Paul himself notes of the patients that God has for each of us 04:08.200 --> 04:14.800 and for our failings for our growth and the like. Now I bring this up 04:14.800 --> 04:19.600 partly because in our day and age and maybe somewhat discouraging, 04:20.399 --> 04:28.100 maybe somewhat just distressful to see the state of Christianity with in 04:28.100 --> 04:28.900 the West. 04:30.100 --> 04:35.000 With perhaps declining numbers of those who attend church or those who 04:35.000 --> 04:36.100 confess Christ. 04:39.300 --> 04:45.800 But then again, it seems to me, that's exactly the time when perhaps 04:46.300 --> 04:49.100 God, decides to make something new. 04:50.700 --> 04:56.400 He decides to create in unexpected ways. The same thing applies into 04:56.400 --> 04:57.200 our lives. 04:58.900 --> 04:59.700 We may find ourselves 05:01.100 --> 05:06.100 frustrated. We may find ourselves somewhat discouraged by what lies 05:06.100 --> 05:10.400 before us or we might find things going quite well for us. In either 05:10.400 --> 05:12.500 case know this. 05:13.500 --> 05:22.500 In Christ, God is always making new things, making us new and making 05:22.500 --> 05:24.200 new things out of our lives. 05:26.600 --> 05:30.400 After all, he is the creator. 05:32.200 --> 05:35.600 So in this regard, rather than being discouraged 05:37.000 --> 05:39.000 we can live in a certain anticipation 05:39.700 --> 05:41.600 what's God going to do next? 05:42.600 --> 05:44.300 What's God going to do now? 05:45.000 --> 05:50.100 Because his track record shows something new is on the way. 05:52.100 --> 05:55.800 In the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. 05:56.600 --> 05:57.000 Amen. 05:59.200 --> 05:59.500 Please stand.