28 Nov I hear angels…
…and it has nothing to do at the moment with Christmas.
Angels? Yes angels. Jesus says so…twice in fact in Luke 15…verses 7 & 10: “…there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents & returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous & haven’t strayed away! …there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
So…what am I talking about? Well, I noticed an interesting headline in a Christian journal I often read. It mentioned two women who had recently made public profession of their faith in Jesus. One of those women I had heard of before: Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She’s a Somali-born woman who immigrated to Holland many years ago to escape the tribal violence & the destructive Islamic ideology that has made Somalia & much of Africa & the Middle east a pit of devastation & death. I read her first book (Infidel) in which she described herself as an atheist…an escapee of sorts from Islam. She has seen so much violence, oppression & pain at the hands of Islam that she rejected the idea of God. She was part of a panel discussion the other week & in a large part of the conversation identified as a new follower of Jesus.
She first describes Christianity as the bulwark of sorts against the opposing threats of intolerance & oppression & violence of the kind she experienced in Islam. She notes that what we experience in freedom, compassion & humility are the products solely of faith in Christ. So I feel strongly that she’s seeing the fruits of faith & asserting her trust in the faith that bears those fruits. We’re almost to the angels part…
Then she hit the nail right on the head: “I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life?” Last Sunday I noted that when we feast anywhere but at the table offered us in Christ, the meal turns to gravel in our teeth & sand in our belly. Life is at its fullest, most abundant, & most satisfying in Christ & only in Christ. She describes what the not-yet-Christian world uses as fulfilment this way: “jumble of irrational quasi-religious dogma.” Yep…the angel choir is having a blast!
The second woman was not someone I’d ever heard of… Katherine von Drachenberg (known professionally as Kat von D) She’s a celebrity tattoo artist & if you look her up on line…it’s obvious. She was baptized not long ago. She grew up in Mexico because that’s where her parents were missionaries…yes missionaries. But when they moved back to the US she did some drifting away. In fact, she drifted into occult practices & witchcraft. She honed her tattooing craft & eventually was part of a “reality TV” series featuring tattoo artists & their work. She too found a yawning emptiness in spite of her worldly success & started listening to sermons…and she’s back home in Jesus’ arms. Her big request is for people to pray for her to be effective in her witness to those she loves & who know what she was. I thought about her as I read Acts 19:18-20 where new converts in Ephesus burn their books on sorcery & witchcraft. She did that…literally. Again…angels!
I share those two stories to encourage you to keep praying for your not-yet-Christian connections. You never know when that “God-shaped-hole” in their heart will cry out to be filled by the only One who can fill it properly: Jesus. But…never stop sharing your faith & hope with those people either. Every kindness, every sign of faith, every offer of hope, every prayer…matters…eternally.
And…let’s remember…
Zoom Bible Study Catch-up – We’ll have a look more deeply at last Sunday’s readings: Luke 14:15-24 & Acts 1:3-11
Friday – 1st December @ 1:00 p.m. (click that link below)
Join Zoom Meeting — https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83586782734 — Meeting ID: 835 8678 2734
LWF Prayer Morning – Saturday – 2nd December – 10:00 a.m. – 85 Red Hill Road (across from Lutheran Primary School)
Advent starts this Sunday! The Promised Advent-ure
Morning Tea & Giving Beyond Ourselves for ALWS (Australian Lutheran World Service) are also part of the celebration.
God bless your week with his presence…which is strong enough for any challenge & his love…which is mighty enough to conquer death for us all!
John
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