This morning I hauled myself out of bed around 5:30am to get to our church prayer time. It's called "GateCrashers" but more often than not we're groping around in the early morning fuzziness for God to "Give us a key please," than we are crashing the gates of Hell.
This morning was one of "Those" times. You know what I mean? When "He" arrives and all else moves to the background. All the lists we bring, all the scrapes and bruises we want justice about just seem insignificant when "He" shows up.
He was bringing me to Jeremiah today. Showing me how easy it is for us to worship the little gods. Sacrificing our love for The True God, for little trinket gods, like time. He showed me how the prophets and priests, if they weren't careful, could end up condoning and blessing the little gods that the people worshipped, rather than standing and naming the little gods.
He showed me how He loved me, and how so much of the other stuff is just a distraction from the reality of our love.
"Father, clear away the stuff that clutters my heart. Move out the things that I bow down to, when I want to be bowing only to you. My heart is easily taken captive by shiny sparkling gods, who take my life and worship, and grind me to dust. I want to be whole-hearted, I want to be single-minded about you. I want everything else moved to the background of my life, my heart, and desire only you. For you alone have the words of eternal life. You alone can satisfy the cravings of my spirit. You alone are worthy."
I love it when "He" comes to early morning prayer time.
41 years ago today, in a small rural church in MacGregor Manitoba, Reuben Friesen and Evie Thiessen made their vows to one another. They promised, before God and the gathered, to love and honour and to be faithful to each other, till death they would part.
In 1981, as I departed for college and my place in the world, they responded to a clear call of God on their lives. They sold most of what they owned, and gave up their jobs. They left family and friends and church in Saskatoon and moved to a small town in Southwestern Ontario called Aylmer. There they became an early version of Youth Pastor's for the church there. The title didn't come with any income in those days, so they made a living the best they could. They worked hard and it was never easy. They settled in and made their home in Aylmer, helping immigrants from Mexico adapt to life and, eventually, to a living faith in God.
In the mid 90's Dad became ill with a genetic disorder which would destroy his liver. It was decided that they would move to Saskatoon to be nearer family as they walked through these uncertain days. What followed was an emotional rollercoaster as Dad began the process to see if he would qualify for a liver transplant. He was unable to work, so they lost their home and business, and mom quit working so she could care for him. And so they wandered through a haze of testing and positives and negatives. Dad became sicker and finally received a new liver. He really hung in the balance for a year, when, he needed another transplant. This one took hold, but he has never been able to get his good health back.
I have watched as they have become angry and hurt, -questioning, grieving. Then watch as it resolved into a positive, faithful approach to their daily struggle for survival. I have watched as they lost everything, and hung on to each other, and to God. And I have been impressed with their faithfulness to the vows they made 41 years ago, and their decision to love one another, through all the good, and especially through all the bad life threw at them.