Creative Worship: Holy & Godly Lives

Hi friends,

In 2 Peter, the writer to the church undergoing persecution gives a number of warnings and encouragements. Toward the end of this short letter he comes to an important question in the midst of all the struggle and difficulty: 'What kind of people ought you to be?' (2 Peter 3:11) The answer is that they should live holy and godly lives as they await the return of the Lord.

I think it's not hard to see some similarities in application to our lives today. We are going through some pretty rough times, with a global pandemic, political ugliness and uncertainty, many not being able to meet in churches as they are used to, rising unemployment and many other challenges. It is easy to despair or hide away or lose faith and focus on Jesus. But these words from 2 Peter give us a needed encouragement and challenge. In the midst of everything going on, we are to live holy and godly lives.

What does it mean to live holy and godly though? Well, to be holy doesn't mean 'holier than thou' where we look down our moralistic noses at others and think we are better than them. It doesn't mean perfect either. It means to be set apart, to be different, to be consecrated for special use (think about the holy items in the tabernacle). We need to realise that this is our identity as the people of God. We are not to be like the world, to blend in, to become like everyone else. No, we are to stand out as a consecrated people who are a habitation for God's holy presence. And what does it mean to be godly? I think it means that we live in a way that imitates Christ and points to our heavenly Father. We should live lives that reflect the character of God, not the character of the world around us. This is a high and holy calling, but one that we do not have to attempt in our own strength. God has given us his Holy Spirit and his Word to help us as we seek to follow and obey him.

On this page I created a background with acrylic paints (I had to use quite a few layers as I had pretty bad bleed-through from the other side!). The text was stamped with a combination of sets: Playful Alpha, Bitty Minnie Alpha, Joint Heirs and Set Apart. The flowers from Encouraging Peonies were stamped on clear sticker paper with Stazon ink, cut out, stuck to the page and coloured with Derwent Lightfast pencils. Here are the sets I used: