Cicadas

One Sunday after church, as we enjoyed a blessed in-person fellowship outside, one elementary student waxed eloquent about cicadas. Their lifecycle. Their diet. Their characteristics. She knew so many facts. And I thought to myself- what exact place do cicadas have in our ecosystem? Do they even have a purpose? From a pastoral perspective I knew the theological answer. Of course they do. Cicadas are part of creation. God created them. The angels cry in Isaiah 6:3, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” The purpose of all of creation is to reflect the glory of God.

This reminds me of our purpose. We too are God’s creation. And we are the pinnacle of creation as we have been created by God in His image. Unlike cicadas, we possess a mind to think and reflect in ways so far beyond the creature world. Our purpose is to reflect the glory of God as we steward all that He has entrusted to us. Though this is a contentious point because we constantly rebel against His purpose. We want to go our own way. We ignore Him.

How are we to live out His purpose? Eastern cultures saw the shedding of a cicada's skin as a symbol of rebirth. There are cicadas carved from jade found from the Han Dynasty in China 150 BC. These figures were placed on the dead in hopes of a resurrection. The wishful hope that cicada’s brought reminds me of the living hope that believers have based on the truth of the gospel. There is resurrection! Jesus died and rose from the grave. He says in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”

Experts explain that the 17 year emergence of Brood X from underground living is coming to an end. By July 4th, they will be gone. If you see any, may you be reminded of the living hope that we have in Jesus because He did resurrect from the dead. It is a historical fact. And this living hope allows us to live out God’s purpose. Let us reflect His glory as we steward what He has entrusted to us.