28Jesus replied, "Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields--whatever-because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. 30This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first."
This morning I've been suffering from a serious case of "blogger's block."
As Napoleon would say (Dynamite, that is, not the little French general), there's like a "finity" of things to write about, but none of them seem quite right.
Rioting in France...Election Day...Intelligent Design controvery....all too political.
Beautiful Fall weather and the amazing leaves all around us...too sappy (sorry about the pun).
A weekend hike with my family complete with pics of my boys...too "daddy."
Nothing. But it's Wednesday, so "nothing" won't do.
Then, I opened my e-mail. There I found a message in a bottle, one that somehow made the long trip from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to wash ashore on my digital beach. It was the first time I'd heard from Lucas (he hasn't heard from me, either) in a long, long time.
I first met Lucas in the summer of 2002. When I saw him, he was pressed into the doorway that separates the cramped Honduran customs room from the adjacent baggage claim area. "Wesley Group!" he yelled, smiling, looking, searching for the nervous and slightly bewildered American missionary team that was to become his charge. Even though it was my first time out of the U.S., my first time to lead a mission trip, my first time to experience any place that felt so immediately foreign to my world, I instinctively knew that things would be alright with Lucas.
Lucas has served as the guide for Wesley's mission teams (the church that I served at that time), every year since. In 2003, he got to spend Christmas with Wesley in Evans, GA. He got to return with his wife for Christmas last year, and this morning he wrote me to tell me that his entire family will be back in Georgia in only a few weeks, and we're working to figure out a time that we can see each other again.
My friendship with Lucas comes back to me in flashes of cross-cultural brilliance. The first time I tried to speak my incredibly bad Spanish to a little girl in a Honduran village, Lucas was there to help. When I asked about her "madre" and "padre," she seemed confused. "No, no," Lucas said, "mami y papi." When I used his words, she smiled and took me to meet them.
As we walked down the dirt road between San Esteban and I-have-no-idea-where-we-are, I noticed all the little kids that were following us. Their numbers grew with every little house we passed. "Lucas," I said, "what can I say to these kids that they would never expect from a gringo --- something that will really make them laugh?" Lucas told me to say, "hola, chicquines" (no other Spanish speaker I've asked has ever understood exactly what this might mean -- it's close to 'hello, little-itty-bitty children'). When I surprised them with my phrase, their faces lit up, they looked at each other with shocked delight, giggled and giggled and then kept following us for sure. I don't know that I've ever seen Lucas in a Honduran village without a group of laughing children all around him.
I stood with Lucas in the middle of a jungle, under the roof of the most dilapidated home that I have ever seen. We spoke to the single mother who lived there as her two little boys ran around her feet. Her husband had been killed and now she was in danger of losing even this little shack -- all that she could give her children. Like me, he saw her tears when we told her that Wesley would pay for the house and do whatever we could for her family.
I remember the time that we got to visit Lucas' mama's house, and how we got to hear her sing to us as a way of welcome and a display of hospitality. I'll always remember how she slipped Lucas some aluminum foil full of home cooking as we left. She kissed his cheek like only a mother can. Mamas are mamas -- wherever you are.
I have eaten with Lucas, and learned what a great breakfast black beans, fried plantains, eggs, corn tortillas and Honduran coffee can be. I have eaten with him in my own home and learned to share his sense of astonishment at what it means to be an American. After reading some Thomas the Tank Engine to my then 3-year-old son he said, "Your son has more books than the entire elementary school in San Esteban." San Esteban is not a tiny town. He didn't have any intention of making me feel guilty, he was simply speaking from his natural reaction to the discovery of an incredible and overwhelming fact. The fact overwhelmed me, too.
I remember a "birthday cake for America," complete with candles, that Lucas somehow arranged and presented to our group when we were once in his country on the Fourth of July. I remember standing with him on our last day in Corral Viejo when the villagers there sang the Honduran national anthem, and then our group struggled through "The Star-Spangled Banner." Before we got off the truck that morning he told us, "don't yell, 'Play Ball!' when it's finished. These songs are very important here." A good lesson learned.
He taught me that a Honduran will never open a gift in the presence of the giver. Instead, they wait for a private moment to appreciate what they have received. Again, it's a tradition I've come to love. I remember how Lucas always makes the slightest change to the English phrase "spending time." Lucas says, "sharing time." It's so good that we could "share time" together. That's a much better thing to say.
I tell you about all of these experiences simply because, to at least some degree, they have helped shape who I am and how I've come to think about faith and ministry. I tell you about them because they are experiences that have stretched me and made me think in ways that I didn't and couldn't before. I tell you about them because my relationship with "Lucas my brother" and the people of Olancho, Honduras, has become a sign and token for me of the way that God in Christ calls us to connection with each other. These experiences have been a real means of grace in my life.
Being in a foreign place made me dependent on Lucas and on the agency that sponsored our trips. That vulnerability helped our team learn to be open to all the ways that we do really need help, and enabled us to realize how much we need to lean on God as well. Sometimes our day-to-day experience can fool us into thinking that we really can, and do, take care of ourselves. There's not much that could be further from the truth. That's what "the Great Reversal," or "the flip" teaches us.
When we truly extend ourselves, beyond our own capacity to maintain balance, we learn what it means to absolutely need help from others. It's often when we really push ourselves to give that we find the surprise lesson. We learn what it means to receive. We learn what it means to depend on, and receive from God.
I remember a wonderful doctor from Augusta who was returning to full-time mission service in Africa. He told me that, "...here I don't see God so easily because it's easier to see my house, and my car, and my practice. I see the grocery store and the highways and my church building. But in Africa, I get up and pray, 'God, I depend on you for my life today.' And I see him everywhere."
There are definitely settings that make it easier to see our interdependence, but you don't have to go to Honduras or Africa to learn how to find them. God really is in Douglasville, too. We might just have to work harder here at not fooling ourselves.
You can connect wherever you are, today. SOTH just returned a mission team from Mississippi. Their stories are of transformation --- not for those they went to help, but for themselves. They experienced God as they reached out. Somewhere along the way, the roles reversed. The divine flip --- flipped.
Try something: find a way to extend yourself beyond the comfortable today. Find a way to get in touch with your dependence on God. Reach out to someone else, and find out how the roles can reverse. You will be changed by the effort. God will flip the "servant" so that he or she becomes the "receiver." That's the way of grace...the way of Christ.
Philippians 2:5-11 (The Message)
5Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. 6He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. 7Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! 8Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death--and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.
9Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, 10so that all created beings in heaven and on earth--even those long ago dead and buried--will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, 11and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.
Grace and Peace,
Adam
LIFE AT SOTH
Welcome back to our mission team that went to Pascagoula, MS. We're proud of you and already looking forward to the next trip this Spring.
Tonight, part 3 of our look at United Methodism and SOTH. 6:30, in the Sanctuary for a look at local church organization, a short history of SOTH and how new churches are planted in the UM Church, and a glimpse of the future for our congregation.
Big Weekend at SOTH!! Lots of stuff is happening this weekend at SOTH. We'll be hosting a bazaar and fall festival all day long on Saturday, followed by our Men's Group BBQ and our youth group's annual Musicfest and Bonfire. We'll have lots of great food, live music and an awesome gathering for fellowship starting around sunset on Saturday evening.
This Sunday will be YOUTH SUNDAY! Look forward to 100% leadership from our youth in this Sunday's worship services. Come out and show "The Flock" how much you love and support them and be blessed by their energy and faith.
Next Wednesday, November 16th, we'll have our annual Thanksgiving Feast. Come out for a great time of food and fellowship: turkey, dressing (Tim Potate specialty) and all the fixings for $4 per person or a $20 max price per family. Already, nearly 100 folks have signed up to be there and we're just getting started good. Look for the sign-up slip in Sunday's bulletin.
COMMUNITY NEED AND A CHANCE TO RESPOND:
We have been praying for Cooper Bell and his family the last few weeks at SOTH. Cooper is a kindergatener at Chapel Hills Elementary and has developed a rare form of juvenile brain cancer. So many people know and care for the Bell's, and we want to make sure that you're informed about all the ways that you can help.
You can visit Cooper's website at caring bridge. Follow the "visit" link on the home page and then add "cooperbell" in the space provided. This is a great place to stay up to date on any developments, and his family is very appreciative of all who visit it. Jonl and Armin Steinke from SOTH are helping organize a golf tournament to help defray the massive costs associated with treatment. Here are the details:
Date: November 30th, 2005
Place: Mirror Lake Golf Course
Registration: 10:30 a.m. with Tee Time at Noon
Cost:
$100 per golfer or $400 per team
$500 to sponsor a hole or tee box
$300 to sponsor beverage cart
Sponsors at other levels welcome and will be acknolwedged
A silent auction will be held, and items for auction are welcome.
If you have questions, would like a registration form, or can help in any way, please contact Jonl Steinke at jbfriend@bellsouth.net
If you would like to donate toward helping with Cooper's medical costs, checks can be made payable to: Cooper Bell Medical Fund and mailed c/o Jonl Steinke at 3996 Oak Hill Drive, Douglasville, GA 30135
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