“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7 NIV)

Coming home from sorting at the Thrift Shop, I carried with me several pieces of very tarnished silver.  It had been agreed upon, that these lovely show pieces would sell so much better if someone polished them.  And as I volunteered, the job became mine.

Retrieving the silver polish and a soft cloth, I set about my task.  Within minutes the results were amazing.  The black tarnish began to wipe away and reveal the glossy sheen of silver.  Using a small toothbrush, I gently scrubbed tiny spaces amidst the overall pattern.  Before long it looked like I was holding a new creation in my hands.

Pure silver does not tarnish.  But as silver is such a soft metal, copper is often added to it, to strengthen it, before producing jewelry and other objects. The copper reacting with sulphur-containing gases in the air causes the majority of the tarnish which forms on silver pieces, demanding a need for regular polishing to keep them at their brightest and most beautiful.

As I polished these pieces and considered the problem that tarnish creates, I thought about mankind and the tarnish of inherent sin with which we are born.  Due to Adam and Eve’s sin, in the garden, all mankind was tainted.  We lost our holiness, our purity. A darkness entered our soul.  And to the inherent sin of our forefathers, we also add our own.  But just as there is a polish which removes tarnish from silver and keeps it shining like a brightly, there is One who is able to polish or wash away our sin: Jesus.

The blood of Jesus, the perfect sacrificial Lamb, has the power to purify us from all our sin, past, present and future, to lead us back into the light of God’s holiness and presence.  In fact, the scriptures tell us: if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here. (2 Corinthians 5:17NIV)

Those old tarnished pieces of silver, I brought home, are now like new.  We too can become new creations in Christ.  Cleansed from any and all wrong doing we have ever done, or thought, or will ever do or think.  All we need to do is to humbly admit to ourselves and God that we need the power of the blood of Jesus’ forgiveness to wash us and make us clean, new creations in Him.  By doing so, we are led into the light of holiness and a new life that continues to shine brightly for all to see, as we walk in the light, as He is in the light.

Prayer: Father God, we praise You and bless You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus whose shed blood has the power to cleanse us from our sin, all that tarnishes our soul.  May many today, come in humility to accept this free gift He offers to all who call upon His name.  In Christ’s name we pray.  Amen.

Lynne Phipps