Adornment

On Saturday, I was reading a book about Titus 2, which led me to read Titus 2 itself. Titus 2 is a chapter of instructions on what virtues should be taught to and practiced by certain groups of people, namely men, women, and slaves. I was struck by the reason given for teaching and practicing these virtues. The reason is for the honor and promotion of the gospel. As the KJV phrases it, "that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things" (Titus 2:10). To adorn the doctrine of God. To make the gospel beautiful. By our actions, we can make the gospel attractive to others. I suppose by that same measure, our actions can make the gospel ugly to others. What a sobering thought.

I love the idea of adorning the gospel. It gives such meaning and purpose to otherwise mundane tasks. It is easy to think that many tasks associated with mothering and homemaking are mundane. It is easy to feel overwhelmed, as I have lately, by the multiple responsibilities that each seem small and insignificant on their own, but somehow add up to a monumental load. But to think that the purpose of these things is to adorn the gospel - to make the gospel attractive to those around me - how wonderful! And this applies to everything, of course, not just to homemaking and mothering. This applies to every job on earth. Office jobs, farming, field techs, golf caddying, preaching, operating, delivering mail, reporting the news - Christians in every area of work, all over the world, have the responsibility and privilege of making the gospel attractive to the world.

I didn't watch the Super Bowl yesterday, but I did watch the awards ceremony afterward. I was struck by a comment made by Colts' head coach Tony Dungy. He was talking about how pleased he was to be the first African American coach to win a Super Bowl (and I think maybe one of the first two to make it to the Super Bowl - the other being yesterday's opponent, Bears' head coach Lovie Smith. But please don't quote me on that fact. I could be wrong.) Such a comment was expected from Dungy, as much media attention has been lavished on this story. But what came next was not as expected. He said (and I paraphrase tremendously- I cannot find the text of his speech) that as pleased as he was to be the first African American head coach to win a Super Bowl, he was even more pleased to be a Christian coach winning the Super Bowl, as that proved that "it can be done the Lord's way". This story tells a bit more about Dungy's open and active faith. Adorning the gospel.

Yesterday in church, our pastor made the sad announcement that a man from our congregation had been killed in an ATV accident on Saturday. His wife, teenage daughter, parents, and mother-in-law were there at the church service, sitting in the row just behind Andy and me. Their pain and grief were evident as they wept; but their faith was even more evident as they lifted their hands and voices to heaven and worshiped with the rest of us. Adorning the gospel. The man who was killed was baptized just two weeks ago, along with his daughter. This recent statement of faith was reassuring to all of us. Our pastor spoke of the gifts of salvation and freedom from death that are available to all of us, and five people decided to accept those gifts and took the first step toward doing so. The young man whose life ended so abruptly and so tragicly was adorning the gospel.

If there are days - and there are - when I can think of no other compelling reason to be kind, to be patient, to hold my tongue, then I pray that this reason will remain ever present and forefront in my mind.