Jeremiah 28: 1-9 (links validated 5/31/23)

The story of Pinocchio is a fictional, allegorical tale about what it takes to become a real boy. In fulfilling the wish of his woodcarving father Gepetto, Pinocchio, the wooden marionette protagonist, is brought to life by a blue fairy, who appears waving her wand over the wooden puppet. She says, "Wake, Pinocchio! Skip and run! For your owner needs you!" Pinocchio blinks his eyes and raises his wooden arms, and says, "I can move! I'm a real boy!" But to this assertion the Blue Fairy soberly replies, "No. You have life, but to become a real boy and be of use to your maker, you must prove yourself brave, truthful, and unselfish." The plot is uncomplicated. Pinocchio is tested by a series of encounters with unsavory characters that mean him no good. He's caught in a series of character maligning circumstances that put his integrity to the test. A memorable tale for sure, but the most remembered aspect of the story line is that Pinocchio doesn't handle stress very well. For when under pressure, he dithers, exaggerates the truth, or flatly tells lies, and each time he tells a lie his nose grows. Unsurprisingly, the moral of the story is that if you tell lies, you will find yourself bereft of moral integrity...

"Wake, Pinocchio! Skip and run! For your owner needs you!" Pinocchio blinks his eyes and raises his arms, and says, "I can move! I'm a real boy!" "No," the Blue Fairy soberly replies, "You have life, but to become a real boy and be of use to your maker, you must prove yourself brave, truthful, and unselfish." And this is the good news today. We have life to become what we hope to see. We have life in the carpenter's son - the Savior who gives life. New life. Life to become real. Life to make a difference as a citizen in the kingdom of God. Life to be of use to our maker. We have Jesus' Life.