A dream of some scientists is to bring back (de-extinct) the passenger pigeon by injecting band-tailed pigeon embryos with primordially edited germ cells. De-extinction is a fascinating idea with overt shades of Jurassic Park. In regards to man God has long held a de-extinction program. With Adam and Eve’s failure came the extinction of perfect God-imaged creatures. With sin came the decay and death of the noblest finest thing God ever made. Adam and Eve could only stand at the gate of Eden and remember what was. Jesus was morally perfect, but He was not physically perfect. He was, according to Hebrews, subject to all the weaknesses of fallen man.
The plan of redemption has always been the de-extinction of the perfect Adam and Eve. In I Corinthians 15 Paul speaks of this corruption putting on incorruption. He is talking about de-extinction. What is exciting about this is the non-exclusiveness of God’s plan. This plan has never had restricted membership. According to the close of Matthew, Jesus commanded His disciples to recruit members from every tribe, nation and race.
Just imagine yourself with the ability to will away all your bad features and will into existence perfect replacement parts. Look in the mirror and think just how good you could and will look while still being you. Think of yourself with a noble mind thinking pure unselfish thoughts. Think of yourself with an eternity at your disposal that you might dedicate the time needed to master skills you only now can dream about. Think of yourself never forgetting a face or a name. Think of yourself being de-extinct.
De-extinction is the theme of the plan of redemption. This is so much more than grand. This makes grand look like a feeble word.
Squeezed
As the recycle truck rolled down the hill the thought hit my friend. Her fanny pack was in that truck. That wouldn’t be so bad except for what was in the fanny pack. Her passport, her wallet, her credit cards, her driver’s license were on the brink of becoming a new whatever. But she was not giving up so easily. Jumping in the car she arrived at the back of the truck just in time to see the compactor do its job. “Sorry, Maam,” said the driver. “Once it’s in there I can’t get it out.”
But she was not giving up so easily. She followed the truck to the recycle center and persuaded some big cheese to dump the truck contents apart from the main pile. After a while of unsqueezing the squeezed there it was. Redeemed. Now the moral of the story almost writes itself. Chasing after the valuable, rummaging through the discards, saving the lost; all the elements of the Gospel story are there.
However, that is not what struck me. It was the squeezing. The icons of her identity were being crushed into something else. As she was telling me of her adventure I remembered a text paraphrased by J. B. Phillips. Romans 12:2, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, . . .” It’s a great message about letting God shape us and not allowing modern culture to determine who we are. If we are not vigilant about what we become we really are squeezed into “mold.” That’s a slimy fungal thought.
But a great thought is the rest of Romans 12:2, “. . . let God re-mold (reform) your minds from within, . . . and move towards the goal of true maturity.”