“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” Hebrews 1:3
My grandson on a different day
Not long ago, I was in Home Depot getting wood to fix our chicken coop, even though it was only a couple of years old. Initially, I intended to build one but my recovery from surgery was not as fast as our baby chicks were growing. So, we purchased a prefab that had good reviews. Yet, like many other products these days, they cost more but their value is less.
I was searching through a pile of lumber when I heard a loud angry voice cursing as he approached. He was naming certain political figures as he did. I assumed he was on the phone, but he wasn’t. He was enraged at the price of wood, and they were to blame.
He didn’t realize I was there and no one else was around. When I noticed he was putting his wood in my wagon, I seized the opportunity to speak to him.
“I guess we’re in this job together,” I said, as I continued to load “our” cart.”
He was startled to see me and realized what he had done. He apologized for the wood and for his outrage. When he looked me in the eyes, I told him I understood, but he couldn’t let “them” get to him.
“You’re right,” I said. “The prices are unjustly high–but freaking out like you are doing is exactly what they want. If you keep it up, you won’t be looking at lumber, you’ll be looking at iron bars.”
I had no idea how he would respond, but he thanked me. He said he was on probation and didn’t want to return to jail.
No surprise that it became easy to bring Jesus into the conversation. I told him how frustration and anger were once my closest friends before I met Jesus. He said his PO–parole officer–told him he needed to go to church.
Maybe he meant well but it hadn’t ‘worked’ yet.
But just the mention of the name of Jesus was calming to him and continued to be so as we spoke privately in that big box store. I told him I watched him look down the boards to see if they were straight and true and that made me think he was a man of excellence who wanted things to be right.
“Jesus also wants things right, but He alone can make it happen, He starts the job from the inside, where we each need help.”
When I told him Jesus was a carpenter, he was shocked.
He said he never knew that.
~~~
The next story was told to me by a man who heard me speak on a Zoom Bible study. He contacted me to ask if we could talk because He had many questions. A few days later we met for coffee—one of my favorite hobbies. Like many others I have met recently, his interest in Israel and the Jewish people was growing and he was not sure how they fit into the biblical narrative.
We enjoyed good fellowship and prayer but before we parted, he wanted to tell me about a recent meeting he attended.
A friend of his invited him to an unusual gathering of 30 people in his house. None of them knew each other. They went around the room and each person said a few things that she or he wanted others to know about themselves. When it came full circle, he realized they were all Jewish and it was his turn.
He said that he was a conservative Bible-believing Christian, and had a deep appreciation for the Jewish people for writing and preserving the Bible and bringing Jesus the Messiah into the world of the Gentiles. He told them that he felt privileged to be there.
A prominent woman didn’t wait a minute to respond. She spoke to the group, whom she had just met, like all the rest.
“I hope you were paying attention to this man. He is an Evangelical Christian, they are the only ones we can trust. I have a neighbor like him, and I recently went to his house and rang the doorbell. When he answered I asked him if it came down to my family’s safety, would you hide us until we found a safe place to live?”
My new friend said there was a hush in the room, and no one spoke.
She continued, “You all need to look for someone like him in your neighborhoods. My neighbor said they would be glad to shelter us if the need arose.”
He said the outspoken woman looked at her watch and realized she needed to go. Before she got too far, my friend asked her to wait.
“Are you serious about what you said? Do you really believe that your lives are at risk as Jews?’
She looked at him as one out of the pages of history and said,
“Absolutely.”
“And I can assure you,” pointing to the others, “so do they.”
~~~
These two incidents are recent and local. But I think they are a snapshot of America and much of the Western world.
Jesus said that in the last days, there would be wars and rumors of wars worldwide. There are many wars without, but even more wars waging within.
To me, this angry young man represented our society on edge. The woman was the Jewish people who have sensed that history is once again repeating itself. The slogan of the Jews after WWII was “Never again!” Beginning on Oct 8, the world began a new tune to silence the old,
“From the river to the sea…” along with even more explicit chants.
I can relate to the anxiety and the fear that surfaced in both stories. They took place in our new home state of Florida. Sand is everywhere here, and at times I feel like burying my head in it.
But I know that is not why we’re here and it’s not what Jesus died for.
Jesus remains the answer for the world today, but He works through those who
represent Him publicly.
This is our time. We hold the answer within us.
It’s time to go public with our faith as loving and caring people so those who are hurting can see there is hope. Otherwise, what will stop the pain from brimming over?
This is not intended to be a lesson. I am certain you are a loving and caring
Christian. Your love and support for Israel is a witness to that.
We support people like you in Israel, who are seeking to serve the lost and afraid, even those who don’t show it. Ask God if He would have you join our endeavors.
I pray that wherever you go, the peace of God will guard your heart and mind–the face of Jesus will be seen in you–and His voice will be heard through you.
Shalom and sustained,
Paul
