June 2010
Look Up! Look way up!
A number of years ago, I happened to be in downtown Toronto on the day of the March for Jesus that the Graham Kendrick organization made happen in major centres around North America. As I stood listening and watching the passing procession, I was overcome with a feeling of awe and what I call Spirit-filled euphoria.
There was something compelling as the music played and people sang while waving banners that proclaimed the name of Jesus. I felt as though I was glued to the place where I stood. Then as the parade passed and continued its way along Queen St. I went on my way into the Eaton’s Centre. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the sheer commercialism that met me at the doors. Everything seemed cheap, plastic and artificial with colours that had no depth or quality.
Starting home from a women’s weekend on the 220 km trip, I was very aware of a newly developed mechanical problem with my car that had surfaced on my way to the weekend. Throughout the weekend I had prayed that if the car was to malfunction could God please arrange it to be in a place where I could get help.
Well it did and He did!
During that return trip I had pulled into a gas station so one of my passengers could rendezvous with her husband. When I tried to restart the car there were no signs of life, just an ominous click. Parked right beside me was a friend with cables and the knowledge to use them effectively! I was on my way with orders not to stop the car until I pulled into my driveway.
Trust in God grows in the potholes of life. The word trust starts with an empty cross.
When reading the Bible do you sometimes feel like it is in another language . . . you understand the words but not the concepts?
Recently at my weekly Bible study I heard wonderful news. Funds are being sought to translate lesson notes into two new languages so that the study can be taken to new non-English speaking places in the world. Praise God and Hallelujah!
But God knows that we need more than a familiar language to understand His Word. He knows that we need more than good eyesight to grasp the depth of scriptural truths. So God in His wisdom has provided us a translator. No, He’s not going to change the language. He’s going to change the reader, the reader that prayerfully seeks truth from the heart of God.
The Holy Spirit works to open the eyes of one who truly seeks Him. The words of a familiar song speak of one who is actively seeking the spiritual insight available to all who ask “Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.”
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . . " (John 1:14 ESV)
In Turkey, when men meet, they kiss each other on both (bristly) cheeks—definitely a cross-cultural moment for me! But if I was going to get to know these men; if I was going to develop any kind of relationship; I had to get over this.
Mission is about crossing over to stand alongside the other. It was so for Jesus, who left the comfort of heaven to stand alongside us. And it is the same for us.
Yes, we have a word to speak, we have a story to tell. But that word is most powerful when it is incarnate—a word written in flesh-and-blood presence. And authentic presence is about more than simply sharing the same GPS coordinates.
