God Did It Right The First Time

A little girl was sitting on her grandfather's lap as he read her a bedtime story. From time to time, she would take her eyes off the book and reach up to tough his wrinkled cheek. She would alternately stroke her own cheek, then his again. Finally she spoke up, "Grandpa, did God make you?"

"Yes, sweetheart," he answered, "God made me a long time ago." "Oh," she paused, "Grandpa, did God make me too?" "Yes, indeed honey," he said, "God made you just a little while ago." Feeling their respective faces again, she observed, "God's getting better, isn't he?"

We can understand why, from her child's perspective, she would think God is getting better. In reality, whether it is creation or salvation, God did it right the first time. When creation was finished, God surveyed what he had done and said, "that's good." But we messed it up. We let sin into the world. So God made possible a new creation.

Paul summarized it this way in Ephesians 2:8-10, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works ..."

God did it right in Christ. In him we are a new creation, and we celebrate this every time we come to the Lord's table. The gift of God in Christ is revealed here in the bread and wine. As we come to this table we are thankful for a God who did it right the first time and made it possible for us to be a new creation in Christ.