Tis the Season for…Plaid?

I’m not sure why I haven’t noticed this before. It was only when a heard someone say, “look at all the plaid” when they saw all the children in worship. I looked around, and sure enough, most of the children were all dressed in plaid. And they looked cute in their Christmas colors.

Then I got to thinking about the different designs of plaid and the different color combinations. It really is pretty cool to see all the ways plaid can create combinations. So, is there something we can learn from, or pay attention to, when we see the plaid all around us?

Look at the colors. Look at the designs. Look at the material used.

If we want to look at all of this theologically, we can see God’s work and the work of humanity. God’s work is in making the different colors and by gifting humanity with the creativity to make things. This goes back to Genesis 1:27 when God gave humanity dominion to be stewards of the earth. In other words, humans use what God has given to shape and form the earth into something humanity can survive and thrive. All of this is because of God’s blessings.

The same is true for the gift of salvation. In a world where we fight about differences of thought of how we obtain salvation, we have to remember everything begins with God. Salvation is not possible without the work and presence of God. What role does humanity have?

Humanity has the opportunity to work with God to bring about good things. It is in cooperation with the presence of God do we see humanity truly flourish and do great things. The Apostle Paul even says to “work out your salvation” (Philippians 3) to teach we have to learn how to live in the gift of salvation God gives.

We cannot do anything to earn salvation. Jesus is the source of salvation. At the same time, we see Jesus (a human and also God) playing a role in salvation with God (on the life, death, resurrection, and ascension). This role of humanity and God working together to create something beautiful is what we should be about.

Even certain colors we may not like can still look pretty with other colors. Even patterns we may not use in everyday life may look good on other people. This is a great gift Christmas brings. A human baby (God-in-flesh) coming to earth, to be with humanity and showing humanity a new way to live and focus our lives.

I pray you can see how God is working in and through and around your life to reveal the beauty of salvation and the gift of his coming. May you be filled with the wonderment of God gifting humanity salvation and the creativity to live and reveal the working of God and the expansion of the Kingdom of Heaven all around us.