Have you ever been fortunate enough to visit the Sistine Chapel in Rome? On the ceiling of that chapel are 9 frescoes painted by Michelangelo, created painstakingly over 4 years while hanging on his back. One of the most famous paintings is "The Creation of Adam." In this painting, a wise-looking, white haired, celestial God is surrounded by cherubs. God reaches out and touches the outstretched hand of Adam. The newly created Adam is the perfect specimen of humanity, strong, vigorous and healthy. The expression on Adam's face is one of wonderment and gratitude, as if still trying to grasp the magnitude of the act of creation. Michelangelo's work has inspired countless visitors to the Sistine Chapel over the last five centuries. 

The hand of God touching the hand of man has come to be widely recognized as a symbol of the relationship between humanity and God. Unfortunately, sin has marred creation and the intimate relationship we initially had with God. The mystery of our lives is how God continues to reach out to us, to touch our lives, restore the broken relationship and recreate us.

Imagine for a moment that there is an empty spot on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This spot has been dedicated for a painting entitled "The Recreation of Man." Michelangelo was not able to complete this final painting before he died. The keepers of the Sistine Chapel have all agreed that they want this final painting completed in a style like Michelangelo in order to preserve the beauty and artistic integrity of the Chapel. Now imagine that you can draw more than stick men and you are the artist commissioned by the pope to complete this important work! After getting over the amazement of having been chosen to do this work and your fear of heights you start to wonder what you can paint to depict the recreation of man. 

For starters you decide that, if this is a recreation, man must be in a state of brokenness, weakness and misery. You visit the hospital for inspiration and are captivated by the appearance of a man in the infectious disease ward. The man is gaunt, with sunken, dull eyes that have grown tired of people looking away when he tries to make eye contact. His skin is covered with sores and his body contorted by a combination of pain and being bedridden for the last several months of life. The man has no visitors and the gowns and gloves armoring the health care providers seem like they are a mile thick. He is totally isolated, miserable, hopeless and helpless--the perfect model for your painting! 

So now with your model in mind you are ready to paint. The sores, the gaunt, contorted body are faithfully and painstakingly reproduced. Soiled rags, the only suitable garment for your homeless subject, accent his miserable condition. But the face, the eyes, you just can't seem to get them right after repeated tries. You struggle with frustration until one day, you decide to move on to the rest of the painting and come back at the end to finish the man's face. Here you are decisive and confident, painting the nail-scarred hand of Jesus reaching out to touch the desperate man. There are no cherubs or celestial trappings around Jesus. Instead you adorn Jesus with a tender smile and jeweled tears coming from his glistening, compassionate eyes. The painting is almost complete. Only the face of the man is left. The face of the man ... 

Finally, you know what you must do. This has become a self-portrait. It is your face and longing eyes that are added to the brokenness. The nail-scarred hand of Jesus touches you. The eyes of Jesus do not look away, they look directly into yours conveying the unspoken answer to the requests you cannot even utter. The painting is finished but the recreation, a new life, has just started. 

The power is undiminished in God's hand. He still reaches out to us, if we will only look into his eyes and allow ourselves to be touched.