Who would have believed it?

I noticed something interesting this last week as I was studying for the resurrection sermon. I had never paid any attention to the time delay between Mary's encounter with the risen Christ and His appearance before the cowering group of disciples.

The first verse of John chapter 20 reads, “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance”. That certainly fits with our ideas of a sunrise resurrection. However, here is where I made my small discovery. In verse 19 we skip to a much later hour, “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

Very early in the morning, Mary has a wonderful encounter with Jesus and goes back to tell the disciples. Ten to twelve hours later they are sitting together in a locked room fearing for their lives. Did anyone believe her story? Did anyone actually believe that she had seen the risen Lord or did they discount her story as the result of severe and prolonged grief-ridden trauma on an already over-emotional lady? After all, she was the same lady who poured out a whole year’s salary on Jesus’ feet.

I wonder what the disciples talked about all day. Did they debate the scriptures? Did someone create a biblical defense for a crucified and resurrected messiah? Or did they simply contemplate the different methods of possibly leaving town without suffering the same fate as Jesus?

I wonder why Jesus chose to make them wait. More importantly, I wonder why He makes me wait. How do the uncomfortable moments of waiting and wondering, worried and distressed, contribute to my growth and my ability to continue to trust the Savior?

I am sure that we have all felt this type of intensely agonizing doubt. We all must learn to embrace the reality that the rewards of His revelation (in His time) bring great joy.

“After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord”. John 20:20

New lessons learned...

CELebracion is the name of our new church plant. We knew that beginning something new would be a lot of fun...and from the pic you can see that we were right. However, there have been a few lessons that maybe we didn't see coming.

1) Preaching can be a lot more fun and fulfilling when there is more participation. It can get uncomfortable, but have you ever wondered what would happen if the congregation actually responded to the questions that we place throughout our sermons? What if they actually ask a few questions of their own? Wouldn't it encourage our people to be more engaged with God and His word? Wouldn't it make us have to respond in authentic and relevant ways? We would have to scratch where it itches. We might also get the privilege of simply saying, "Wow! Great question! I don't know. We'll have to study that one together".

2) Also, New christians challenge our religion. Just like week, we were praying for a couple from a new rural congregation. The husband was involved in a hit-and-run accident. He was hit by a motorcycle as he travelled home on his bicycle. His face caught the worst of the damage as he landed on the pavement. The family spent 4 days in Tegucigalpa trying to get the one plastic surgeon at the public hospital to work him in. Eventually, they gave up and came back to Siguatepeque. As the principal bread winner in his home, the family has suffered from his lost wages.

After praying for this family, one of our newest believers stands up and admonishes the congregation, "Is that it? I thought that we were going to be a church of action?" Needless to say, we had to respond. I grabbed a young man's hat and placed it where everyone could give. Our giving was more generous than the usual weekly offering and probably got the family through a week or so of groceries.

Another lesson learned, true Christianity is actually putting the compassion of Christ into action. Praise His name!

Notes on a page...

Last night, I was looking through an old Theology Proper textbook that we used long ago in our Mobile Bible Institute. I noticed that most of the pages had been filled with underlined passages and scribbled notes. About half of them I easily recognized as my handwriting, but the other notes were even more obvious. My dear friend, Jorge Espinal, had written the other notes in his distinctive cursive style.

At different times, both Jorge Espinal and I used the same book to teach different groups of rural pastors. The Mobile Bible Institute was really a fulfillment of his dream (along with Paul Talley) to make theological education available to the poor, bi-vocational pastors of Honduras and Nicaragua. It began in 1994 and continues today in many different countries.

You see, I was on a bus travelling to teach an MBI group last week when I received a text message about Jorge's death. His long battle with cancer was finally over. A large group of us had spent a few hours with the family and friends the night before and we knew that it was only a matter of a very short time. I had been given the privilege a week earlier to actually share a few words with Jorge. It felt like we were saying goodbye and I will always cherish the gift of that moment.

Last night, as I flipped through the pages, I sat in silence, praising God for my friend, his life and his legacy. His notes were not simply written on these pages but also on the reality of my heart....knowing that his kindness and generosity have helped to shape so many of us. Thank you, Jesus....Praise be to your name!