Saints not Goblins
0 Comments Published by Martin Nicholas on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at 3:57 PM.
As I compose this on Halloween evening, my thoughts are not revolving around the young trick or treaters that will frequent my door in search of candy for their bags. Their nocturnal visits will be a treat themselves as they proudly display their costumes. The parade of princesses, pirates, Batman outfits and skeletons always delights me and makes the evening entertaining.
Instead, my thoughts and my heart are directed toward tomorrow, which is All Saints Day. Throughout many centuries of the early church's history, All Saints Day was celebrated as one of the holiest days of the Christian year, along with Easter, Christmas and Pentecost. It was the day to visit the churches and give God thanks for all the saints that touched and blessed our lives, leading us into a relationship with Jesus Christ by their witness. In fact, Halloween, or All Hallowed's Eve, began as the community's evening party before All Saints Day.
Maybe one reason that All Saints has lost its presence and prominence in the current church's life is the confusion over the word "saint." The Bible calls every believer who is a devoted follower of Jesus a saint, which means to be called out by God and to be distinguishable from others through loving deeds and actions in God's name. A saint, in other words, is an ordinary person who loves God and attempts to live by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.
It has been these common, everyday saints that have made a difference in my life. They led me to God who unlocked my heart and offer the peace beyond human understanding and a joy to trust God in spite of the circumstances of my life. These saints demonstrated Christian love in action by their sacrificial acts of kindness and compassion to others. They showed my and taught me not to trust my possessions but first to give to God with my money and treasure and learn to depend on God's provision to meet my needs.
So, tonight, as the goblins and ghosts ring my doorbell, I will recall those Halloween nights when I filled my bag with candy. Yet, all the while, I will look toward tomorrow when I will reflect on the saints, both living and dead, who have meant and still mean so much to me. I thank God for them.
Instead, my thoughts and my heart are directed toward tomorrow, which is All Saints Day. Throughout many centuries of the early church's history, All Saints Day was celebrated as one of the holiest days of the Christian year, along with Easter, Christmas and Pentecost. It was the day to visit the churches and give God thanks for all the saints that touched and blessed our lives, leading us into a relationship with Jesus Christ by their witness. In fact, Halloween, or All Hallowed's Eve, began as the community's evening party before All Saints Day.
Maybe one reason that All Saints has lost its presence and prominence in the current church's life is the confusion over the word "saint." The Bible calls every believer who is a devoted follower of Jesus a saint, which means to be called out by God and to be distinguishable from others through loving deeds and actions in God's name. A saint, in other words, is an ordinary person who loves God and attempts to live by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.
It has been these common, everyday saints that have made a difference in my life. They led me to God who unlocked my heart and offer the peace beyond human understanding and a joy to trust God in spite of the circumstances of my life. These saints demonstrated Christian love in action by their sacrificial acts of kindness and compassion to others. They showed my and taught me not to trust my possessions but first to give to God with my money and treasure and learn to depend on God's provision to meet my needs.
So, tonight, as the goblins and ghosts ring my doorbell, I will recall those Halloween nights when I filled my bag with candy. Yet, all the while, I will look toward tomorrow when I will reflect on the saints, both living and dead, who have meant and still mean so much to me. I thank God for them.
Have you ever unwittingly locked your keys in your car and were unable to open the doors and drive away? There may not be a more frustrating and humiliating moment than that discovery that in your haste and oversight, the keys to unlock the car are inside.
Whenever I have had such a misfortunate episode, it seems to be when I am in a hurry and the delay that is the result creates difficulties for me. It becomes impossible to be where I am scheduled to be and to meet with the people that are waiting on me. My anxiety and frustration increase. It is natural to worry about the ensuing problems that will arise because I cannot travel or move. On top of it all, I have to determine how I can unlock the car without damaging the windows or doors or triggering the alarm system with no one to stop the noise.
God has designed our hearts to be unlocked. Paul states in Ephesians that we are "to live through love in God's presence (Eph 1.4)." God desires that we open our hearts and receive the love offered to us in Jesus, our savior, and return that love to God, as well as share it with the world around us. This is only possible when our hearts have been unlocked and we become receptive to our Heavenly Father.
If we ignore God's grace and mercy and our hearts remain stubborn, defiant and locked, then the blessings that follow if we would "live through love in God's presence" are missing. Like the paralysis that overtakes someone whose keys are locked in a car, it becomes difficult to move through life with the hope and peace God promises. Frustration, anxiety and fear can increasingly shape a person's outlook and perspective. Our lives can bear the wounds and damages of destructive and harmful decisions.
Remember how Jesus said that he stands at the door and knocks (Rev 3.20). If the door of our heart is opened, Jesus offers the refreshment, peace and joy of a relationship with him. Like the locks of your car, the key is in your hand.
Whenever I have had such a misfortunate episode, it seems to be when I am in a hurry and the delay that is the result creates difficulties for me. It becomes impossible to be where I am scheduled to be and to meet with the people that are waiting on me. My anxiety and frustration increase. It is natural to worry about the ensuing problems that will arise because I cannot travel or move. On top of it all, I have to determine how I can unlock the car without damaging the windows or doors or triggering the alarm system with no one to stop the noise.
God has designed our hearts to be unlocked. Paul states in Ephesians that we are "to live through love in God's presence (Eph 1.4)." God desires that we open our hearts and receive the love offered to us in Jesus, our savior, and return that love to God, as well as share it with the world around us. This is only possible when our hearts have been unlocked and we become receptive to our Heavenly Father.
If we ignore God's grace and mercy and our hearts remain stubborn, defiant and locked, then the blessings that follow if we would "live through love in God's presence" are missing. Like the paralysis that overtakes someone whose keys are locked in a car, it becomes difficult to move through life with the hope and peace God promises. Frustration, anxiety and fear can increasingly shape a person's outlook and perspective. Our lives can bear the wounds and damages of destructive and harmful decisions.
Remember how Jesus said that he stands at the door and knocks (Rev 3.20). If the door of our heart is opened, Jesus offers the refreshment, peace and joy of a relationship with him. Like the locks of your car, the key is in your hand.
If someone had told me that I would have the good fortune to visit both China and Turkey during 2007, my reaction would have been one of unbelief. However, I surprisingly took a trip to the Orient in the spring with Jack Rhea, the missionary in Hong Kong that our church supports, and I just returned from leading a group of church members to Greece and Turkey to visit the sites where Paul ministered.
Since both of these trips were not part of my long-range planning, I have reflected on the lessons that God had for me to discover and to learn and it seems to me that the ancient Silk Road may be part of what God wants me to see. In Xian, the ancient capital of China, our group stopped for a group picture at a sculpture depicting the origin of the Silk Road which started in Xian and led westward. Then, in Istanbul, our knowledgeable guide showed us the bazaar which was, in all practicalities, the end of the Silk Road. Here, when Istanbul was known as Constantinople, the goods that traveled from the Orient along the Silk Road were purchased to be shipped to the markets throughout Europe.
Leaving the ancient bazaar, I understood in a new and profound way the passion of the new converts and leaders of the church in China who are committed to taking the saving gospel of Jesus Christ "back to Jerusalem." This rally cry, "Back to Jerusalem," is lifted in prayer, taught from the pulpit and believed in the congregations throughout China and it is the conviction of these Christians that the church, as it grows in China, will take the gospel westward into the lands from India, Iran, Iraq and further. God has placed a calling on the Chinese to take the gospel into the lands of Asia, along the paths and highways of the old Silk Road, and offer redemption and forgiveness through the name of Jesus.
Watching the busy crowds in Istanbul, I was struck by the sense of alienation and confusion in that important city. Even though the country of Turkey reportedly is 99% Islamic, it appeared that any religious expression was largely cultural and that people, especially the youth and young adults, followed a secular lifestyle. I also had an impression that Christianity was not welcomed, at least from a westerner like myself. Each night, late into the hours, as the streets filled with pedestrians, it became clear why God has placed upon the hearts of the emerging church in China a passion to take the love of Jesus west into the Islamic world.
Pray for the church in China. Pray for the gospel to penetrate the lands from China back to Jerusalem. Pray that the Silk Road, once the avenue for spices, silk and porcelain, now will become the passageway for the church to send missionaries with the message of hope that only Christ can give to a lost and confused part of the world
Since both of these trips were not part of my long-range planning, I have reflected on the lessons that God had for me to discover and to learn and it seems to me that the ancient Silk Road may be part of what God wants me to see. In Xian, the ancient capital of China, our group stopped for a group picture at a sculpture depicting the origin of the Silk Road which started in Xian and led westward. Then, in Istanbul, our knowledgeable guide showed us the bazaar which was, in all practicalities, the end of the Silk Road. Here, when Istanbul was known as Constantinople, the goods that traveled from the Orient along the Silk Road were purchased to be shipped to the markets throughout Europe.
Leaving the ancient bazaar, I understood in a new and profound way the passion of the new converts and leaders of the church in China who are committed to taking the saving gospel of Jesus Christ "back to Jerusalem." This rally cry, "Back to Jerusalem," is lifted in prayer, taught from the pulpit and believed in the congregations throughout China and it is the conviction of these Christians that the church, as it grows in China, will take the gospel westward into the lands from India, Iran, Iraq and further. God has placed a calling on the Chinese to take the gospel into the lands of Asia, along the paths and highways of the old Silk Road, and offer redemption and forgiveness through the name of Jesus.
Watching the busy crowds in Istanbul, I was struck by the sense of alienation and confusion in that important city. Even though the country of Turkey reportedly is 99% Islamic, it appeared that any religious expression was largely cultural and that people, especially the youth and young adults, followed a secular lifestyle. I also had an impression that Christianity was not welcomed, at least from a westerner like myself. Each night, late into the hours, as the streets filled with pedestrians, it became clear why God has placed upon the hearts of the emerging church in China a passion to take the love of Jesus west into the Islamic world.
Pray for the church in China. Pray for the gospel to penetrate the lands from China back to Jerusalem. Pray that the Silk Road, once the avenue for spices, silk and porcelain, now will become the passageway for the church to send missionaries with the message of hope that only Christ can give to a lost and confused part of the world
