THE CROWD I CAN’T WAIT TO BE STUCK IN

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  Revelation 7:9

I have the privilege of working with courageous missioners who have joyously given their lives to share Jesus with people around the world.  George and his family have served Christ in the Philippines for many years and recently sent me this beautiful reflection.  He gave me permission to use it here:

I live in a very crowded city, Manila, the densest city in the world. What would normally be a 15 minute drive in the USA can take up to 6 hours here on account of so many cars. People get irritated, and it’s hot.

All around me are represented the 180 or so languages that exist in the Philippines. One day there will be people from every one of these languages standing among the great multitude, offering praise in their language (tongue) to our Father. That is why I came here, to be stuck in this crowd for now so that one day they can join us before the Father in a much bigger crowd and with way more than 180 languages praising God.

On that day, we won’t be irritated at the tightness of the crowd but will rejoice that we have all been forgiven, redeemed, and can stand in his glory before the throne. I think I will stand in the Filipino section.

 

Heavenly Father, I thank you for all your devoted servants around the world who share you gladly in word and in deed.  Thank you for calling each one of us to service in your Kingdom.  AMEN.

CHEERFUL GIVING

 

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  II Corinthians 9:7

The music begins, and people dance down the aisles to deposit their gifts and return, dancing, to their seats.  Another song begins, and another group repeats the process of dancing down the aisle to deposit a handful of treasure.  This will continue for up to an hour until everyone has an opportunity to dance and joyfully give his or her gift.

Offering time in Nebbi, Uganda, is something one must see and experience to believe.  These beautiful people who some might describe as economically challenged prove themselves to be some of the wealthiest in the world in their giving to their Lord.  With joy and thanksgiving everyone dances to the front as his or her zone moves forward in time with their special song.

I remember being in one congregation where the gifts were vegetables from the garden or bags that jumped around during the service as cherished small farm animals were given in thanksgiving.  The focus of the offertory was expressing gratitude for God’s abundance poured out in the lives of his children.

At home in Texas most of my giving is online.  My church, missionaries, and organizations that I support all encourage online giving.  I never get to dance.  The closest thing to Nebbi offerings that I experience here is when our church has our Noisy Offering:  all the children grab pots and pans, spittoons and buckets, anything that makes noise when change is tossed in.  One cannot avoid giving—the children are seriously in your face until you put something in their containers.  And they do dance back to the front to lively, joyous music.

I really do believe God loves cheerful givers, and it’s so much more fun.

 

Lord, our hearts burst with gratitude for your generosity that never seems to end.  Remind us that “all things come of thee, oh Lord, and of thine own we have given thee.”  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

REJOICING ALMOST ALWAYS

 

Rejoice in the Lord always.  Philippians 4:4

 

Paul tells the church at Philippi that they should rejoice in Christ.  No excuse.  No exceptions.  He repeats himself and says that they should always rejoice in the Lord.  Paul was in prison when he wrote this to the Philippians, and he said that he’d learned the secret of contentment in every circumstance:  he could do all things through [Jesus] who gave him strength. Everything that he couldn’t do, God could do through him.

 

I was working in Uganda and heading north from Kampala for a huge celebration and time of thanksgiving.  I invited Jennifer, a missionary friend, and Bea, a clergy wife.  And Bea invited a friend.  Four of us prepared to leave early in the morning in order to complete the eight-hour trip before dark.

 

I arrived at the meeting place to load up and leave.  No one was ready.  The van arrived, and we discovered that the back door for loading stacks of equipment wouldn’t open – it has just broken, according to the driver.  So we lifted everything over three rows of seats and got off an hour or so after our scheduled departure.

 

Finally, we were moving.  I led the group in a series of praise songs.  I remember that we were singing This is the Day That the Lord Hath Made when the inside of the van began to fill with smoke.  Eventually, our driver decided we should stop and see what might be wrong.  Bea said to me, pointedly, Why did you stop singing?  Woops.  We tried another half-hearted song as our driver checked the engine with a puzzled expression.  And then we sat.

 

There in the middle of a banana plantation, villagers gathered to sympathize and to teach us how to play one of their games.  After all, it looked like we might be there for a while, and they wanted us to be entertained.  Jennifer pulled out her cell phone and called everyone she knew to see if they could send another van.  After numerous calls, she was successful and joined me in playing corro.  Then Bea’s friend asked Jennifer why she hadn’t called so and so because she knew they were nearby and would help.  You can understand why Jennifer didn’t respond at that moment.  Should we have begun singing again?

 

An hour and a half later, the second van arrived; we carried all the equipment back over the three seats and loaded up for our drive north.  By then we were friends with the neighbors and thanked them for their hospitality.  On the road again, we began singing.  This is the day…  Perhaps we had gone ten miles.  Perhaps.  The second van began sputtering and came to an abrupt stop.  Whatever could be wrong this time?

 

Our driver politely told us that when we called, we said we were in a hurry, so he hadn’t bothered to stop for fuel.  I forked over the 100,000 shillings necessary to fill the gerry can with fuel once he found someone willing to part with the precious liquid.  Our driver headed down the red dirt road, hoping to find someone who could help.  Jennifer quoted her oft-stated phrase:  TIA, This is Africa.  And we laughed.  And then we prayed, thanking God for safety and for his provisions of friendship, fuel, and funds.

 

Rejoicing is so much easier among friends.  And the trip north?  A smashing success and another opportunity to experience God’s faithfulness.

 

Lord, we can always rejoice when we remember who you are and whose we are.  We embrace your call to find our joy in you as we ask that you be glorified in us.  AMEN.

LET IT SNOW

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? Job 38:22 (KJV)

Here in South Texas I can enjoy the winter vicariously with a cup of hot chocolate in front of a blazing fireplace. And every year, without fail, we hope that we will have a White Christmas. (There are even companies that produce fake snowballs so children can indulge in a friendly “fight.”) It’s only in our fertile imaginations that we have the blessings of a white landscape without any of the accompanying challenges.

The last snow we had was in 1984, and it shut down the city. Everyone had an unexpected holiday (even the weathermen). That is the benchmark to which we point. If only we could have a Christmas like that…

Our missions ministry currently has a team of young professionals working in an orphanage outside Nairobi. Last year when we were there, we were privileged to attend the school’s Christmas program. How bemused, yet delighted, we were to hear the whole school sing Jingle Bells. “Dashing through the snow…” I would be surprised if even one of those little guys knew what snow was really about.

And so, I think that perhaps snow and Christmas enjoyment are linked together in many cultures. But then I read God’s question to Job (above v. 38:22). He describes snow as a treasure that is kept in a storehouse. What a lovely image. Even God regards snow as special and something that can be enjoyed world-wide without cost.

God distributes his gifts freely and says that he gives us all things to enjoy (I Timothy 6:17). Every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17). Let us be thankful and enjoy all the treasures of nature that freely come from God’s loving hand.

Father, sometimes we can be grumpy about the weather. Discipline us to accept all things from your hand, and help us to learn to be content, if not enjoying, your providences. Thank you. AMEN.

GOD IS IN CONTROL

O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. II Chronicles 20:6 (KJV)

This week we have celebrated All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. In light of that our Scripture reading for Sunday was about Jesus and Lazarus from John 11. The CliffsNotes version of the story goes like this.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are dear friends, beloved of Jesus. He stops at their house from time to time for a visit and a meal. The narrative opens with Lazarus’ illness and his sisters’ message to Jesus to come quick. By the time the messenger reaches Jesus, Lazarus is probably already dead, and Jesus waits another two long days to go to his friends. He even tells his disciples that Lazarus is dead, and he is glad because this will be an opportunity for their faith to increase.

When Jesus arrives at the village of Bethany, Martha comes out to greet him with the admonition, “If you’d been here, Lazarus wouldn’t have died.” Then she adds a profound statement of faith. “But I know that God will do whatever you ask.” Jesus proclaims one of his I AM statements, saying, “I AM the resurrection and the life. If you believe in me, you will see the glory of God.” Martha reaffirms her faith.

Then Mary joins Jesus and Martha, and the entourage of grieving Jews follows her. Mary also tells Jesus that if he’d been there, Lazarus wouldn’t have died. Jesus doesn’t respond but asks instead where Lazarus is laid. At the grave site, Jesus cries because of the unbelief around him, because of his anger at death, because of the sadness of his friends who are responding as pagans rather than believers, and, perhaps, because he has to bring Lazarus back.

Practical Martha warns Jesus that Lazarus already stinks because he’s been dead four days. (Jews didn’t consider anyone officially dead until three days had passed.) Instead of silently joining the mourners, Jesus prays and then shouts, “Lazarus, come out.” (He had to say Lazarus’ name so that only he would be raised from the dead.) Lazarus came out of the tomb, and Jesus commanded that he be loosed from his grave clothes. What a sight that must have been.

John tells us at the end of the chapter that from that day, the priests and temple rulers sought to put Jesus to death…

Now look at these gems from this story:

• Jesus’ timing was perfect. Mary and Martha expected him to appear immediately, but his delay caused a greater manifestation of God’s glory.
• Mary and Martha and Lazarus wanted a healing—they got a resurrection.
• The delay was proof that Lazarus was really dead, and only divine intervention would save him. Indeed, the Son of God, the incarnated Jesus, the I AM, brought Lazarus to life.
• Jesus was angry at death, our last enemy, but knew that his divine commission would soon be accomplished, and that he would conquer death, hell, and the grave.
• The priests and Jewish rulers began planning from the day of Lazarus’ resurrection to put Jesus to death. Instead of taking him down, they played right into Jesus’ hands to fulfill God’s promise of salvation from the beginning of creation (Genesis 3).
• GOD IS ALWAYS IN CONTROL, and all things serve his purpose. He can always be fully trusted even when we don’t understand.

Dearest Father, we thank you that your Son Jesus is Lord of all and that nothing is outside your control. Remind us that you always answer our prayers according to your will, your way, and in your time. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.

DISCOVERING JOY

And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord… Isaiah 54:13

When my daughter left for college, she went with two admonitions: “Remember Whose you are” and “Get a job.” Coming from a single parent family, work was nothing new to Tish, but we realized finding a job in a small college town might be a challenge. We prayed.

The first week of school Tish was recruited by a student whose boss was looking for help. From semester to semester, she found work and learned to pray through school and job problems. When work was scarce in her senior year, Tish went into the school placement office and was hired on the spot by the manager who needed a babysitter. One evening Tish called to chat and tell me an experience with her new job.

“There’s been so much to do around here with the children and both the parents so busy, I’ve started helping out with the house and laundry. Mom, there was so much ironing, I knew it would take hours. And then I remembered how we always used to sing while we worked. I pulled out the ironing board and sang one song after another as I ironed, and the work seemed so much easier and was finished before I knew it.

“And you know what, Mom? I felt happy that I could do it. Singing really works. And you should’ve seen their faces when they came home,” Tish concluded.

She should’ve seen my face. (How many times have I been reminded that Tish’s name means joyous Christian?)

Father, your promise is so true: when we train our children and grandchildren in the ways of the Lord, they don’t depart from that. It may take a while, but you are always faithful. Thank you.

BAD NEWS

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen… Matthew 24:6 (NIV)

Have you ever thought of taking a holiday from the news? I mean, if you want a real downer, just turn on any of the news networks or read the online newspapers. Is there ever any good news to report? And before you know it, you’re talking with colleagues about the latest terrorist incident or killing or vitriol among the presidential candidates. And you get caught up in the angst and find yourself being sucked into the negative atmosphere of our times. Sound familiar?

That is not what Jesus told us to do. He was up front about what we could expect – wars and rumors of wars and any number of awful things. And then he follows that up in the same breath with, “See to it that you are not alarmed.” Who is not to be alarmed? That’s US, his children. Why? Because Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33), and we are always victorious (II Corinthians 2:14). When the world is going up in flames around us, we have his peace, and we have HIM.

What’s another name for the Gospel? GOOD NEWS. Instead of reeling under the latest horrific broadcast, let us be LIGHT in this dark place. Let us be JOY in the middle of sorrow. Let us be HOPE as people grasp for answers. That is precisely why we were called to the Kingdom for such a time as this. ONWARD.

Father, this is such a great time to be a Christian. Help our lights to shine so brightly that they can be seen in the midst of the darkest of nights. Love and hope through us, your children. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.

REJOICING

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4 (NIV)

Are you always rejoicing or do you sometimes find it difficult to follow through on Paul’s instructions? He doesn’t tell the Philippians to rejoice sometimes, but it’s always. And he repeated himself.

The rejoicing Paul speaks about is not emotionally oriented. Like everything else we receive from God, it comes from a much deeper place that knows satisfaction and contentment in Jesus. Dependence on emotions can make us fluctuate up and down with the change of circumstance. Rejoicing in the Lord is something that we can do no matter how we feel.

Just begin with thanksgiving. Think of God’s faithfulness in everyday life. Look around at his creation. Remember all the ways he has rescued you, even when you didn’t know you needed him. Thank him for the prayers he didn’t answer according to your short-sighted vision. Before long, you’ll begin to rejoice.

Father, in your presence is fullness of joy. Cause us to relish companionship with you and give us a heart of rejoicing. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.