A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers

Matthew 13:44, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” Michelangelo was renowned during the Renaissance as a skilled artisan as well as an engineer. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome bears his portrayal of the Genesis account of the creation of Adam, with God and Adam’s fingers touching in the celebrated outstretched pose. The altar of the Chapel is graced with the artist’s rendering of The Last Judgment. The celebrated masterpiece was four years in the making. At the age of 24, he carved Pieta, which depicts the crucified body of our Lord laying on the lap of Mary His mother, immediately after His death on the cross. One of the most famous sculptures of the Renaissance was Michelangelo’s David, which portrays the young king-to-be, as he is poised to face Goliath the giant. Michelangelo once said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” In fact, the block of stone from which the grand master was said to have carved the statue of David, had been rejected by other sculptors as not being suitable from which to work. But Michelangelo saw the end product before the first chisel touched the stone. In our text today Jesus tells the story of a treasure hidden in a field. The man who purchased the field did so, with the intent of obtaining the treasure. Each day is given to us as a new day by the Lord. Within each day, like the field, is a treasure awaiting discovery. Like Michelangelo’s perspective of blocks of stone, within each day is a priceless masterpiece awaiting our sculptural efforts to discover. We should, like a Renaissance master, stand before each day with a hammer and chisel in hand, and vision in our heart, poised to reveal the beauty that already exists. God has created each day a masterpiece. He now waits, with anticipation, for you and me to discover what He has already fashioned in this new day.