We've made it a weekly Saturday tradition to bake something with the girls. Last Saturday we made payasam together, an Indian porridge-like desert.
Deborah enjoying her plate of payasam.
The tiny hand of Kristina, the newest addition to the Infant Home.
Spending time with Kristina.“Ancient Israel was commanded to gather together three times a year to celebrate the goodness of God. Those were festivals in the highest sense. They were the experiences that gave strength and cohesion to the people of Israel…the carefree spirit of joyous festivity is absent in contemporary [Western] society. Apathy, even melancholy, dominates the times…modern man has been pressed so hard toward useful work and rational calculation he has all but forgotten the joy of ecstatic celebration.”
-Richard Foster, The Celebration of Discipline
What has happened to times of corporate celebration? The year of Jubilee? Sadly, celebratory traditions seem to have disappeared somewhere along the trail of history under a heap of cultural muck, self-living and increased busyness of daily life.
When Jesus started his public ministry, he made an announcement that the time of celebration had come by reading the ancient scriptures from Isaiah aloud:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Luke 4:18-19)
God’s favor came through Jesus, the fulfilled prophecy. Because of this, His Kingdom is in our very midst. When he stated that “the time of the Lord’s favor has come”, he was referencing the celebration of the Year of Jubilee. Richard Foster explains that, “In the Old Testament all the social stipulations of the Year of Jubilee—cancelling all debts, releasing slaves, planting no crops, returning property to the original owner—were a celebration of the gracious provision of God. God could be trusted to provide what was needed”. Similarly, today Jesus calls us to a perpetual state of Jubilee in the Holy Spirit. To be free of the weightiness of possessions, to be radically freed from anxieties of daily life, to release anything that is choking us or blinding us from the reality that we can cast all of our cares upon God, because He cares for us. There is a liberation that comes with celebration. He has turned our mourning into dancing…there is reason to celebrate!
Amidst the thick fog of pain, poverty, injustice and struggle that I see and encounter daily here in India—even amidst seemingly irreparable brokenness—I can see the reality of the Kingdom stirring heavily in the lives of believers I meet. A reality that brings an inextinguishable, inexpressible, even absurd peace…and joy. Joy that is found in the obedience of living a life consumed by Christ and trusting Him. Joy so rich that, naturally, it ensues celebration.
The church body here in Rameswaram recently entered a time of celebration—an annual period of twenty-one days dedicated to corporate prayer. Prayer meetings occur twice a day in the church—one in the morning and a second that rolls deep into the night. When praying together, thankfulness and celebration seem to overflow. A few days ago, during the middle of a prayer session, the entire church started to sing and dance—for no other reason than to praise God for the ways He has been faithful. At first, I couldn’t stop laughing at the sight—everyone from grey-haired grandpas to wobbly-legged toddlers were skipping and dancing around the straw mats lining the floor of the church. It felt like the dance floor at a spirited wedding reception…Indian style. I found myself immersed in a joyful moment of celebration. Before long I was clasping hands with a petite pathi (grandma) smiling wide with a toothless grin as we alternately kicked our legs from side to side—our heads thrown back in laughter. I can’t say I’ve ever entered into a time of outright dancing in church before. But there was something glorious about it! Our dancing extended beyond recreation—it was a way of exalting God’s goodness and ever-present faithfulness in each of our lives.
Lately, reasons to celebrate seem countless. After months of prayer over issues that seemed to be stewing in a stagnant stupor, God has reminded me that He is a God of action that indeed listens to my prayers and the cries of each individual back at home prayerfully partnering to see God’s Kingdom come here in Rameswaram. A God that has been working all along to carry His masterful plans into completion. Plans that exceed mine—or those of any other human being— by a long shot.
Through prayers lifted up for the orphans on campus and a meeting with the pastors to make an attempt to express my concerns for the girls’ futures and well being, I have watched God’s faithfulness unfold as new strategies are being made to heighten the present living conditions and further the progress for the desired end goal—watching the girls enter loving, forever families through adoption. While adoption is the long-term goal, immediate short-term goals are being met presently. Just yesterday, a beneficial “transition home” was established in a separate room of the orphanage. With two full-time caretakers, it will provide a medial environment for the babies from the infant home to enter during toddler-age until they are prepared to adjust to living with an older age group of girls. Another short-term goal of setting up each girl with an older female “mentor” is being organized and fulfilled.
The newest littlest miracle to celebrate on campus is Kristina, a six day old baby girl and rescued near-victim of female infanticide. Rebekah and I have been visiting her nightly, holding her petite seven-pound frame, kissing her soft forehead and thanking Jesus that she’s been given a second chance at life.
Reasons to celebrate extend beyond the campus walls here in Rameswaram. I received an email from Justin this week relaying experiences from his sojourn to North India and the disaster sites of Orissa. He wrote:
“When I was touring in the North, people kept having me preach and pray for people. I must have prayed for a hundred people. I kept praying in my head, ‘Jesus, I'm not sure I have the faith to see these people healed, but I know you can. Can you give them the faith? At least have one of these people healed so they are encouraged about you.’ I just got an email from the pastors in Calcutta that most of the people experienced healing…Praise Jesus! Oh, thank our amazing Lord that he'd have mercy on a faithless wretch like me and on a ton of people who have no hope outside of His provision... He's SO GOOD!”
-Richard Foster, The Celebration of Discipline
What has happened to times of corporate celebration? The year of Jubilee? Sadly, celebratory traditions seem to have disappeared somewhere along the trail of history under a heap of cultural muck, self-living and increased busyness of daily life.
When Jesus started his public ministry, he made an announcement that the time of celebration had come by reading the ancient scriptures from Isaiah aloud:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Luke 4:18-19)
God’s favor came through Jesus, the fulfilled prophecy. Because of this, His Kingdom is in our very midst. When he stated that “the time of the Lord’s favor has come”, he was referencing the celebration of the Year of Jubilee. Richard Foster explains that, “In the Old Testament all the social stipulations of the Year of Jubilee—cancelling all debts, releasing slaves, planting no crops, returning property to the original owner—were a celebration of the gracious provision of God. God could be trusted to provide what was needed”. Similarly, today Jesus calls us to a perpetual state of Jubilee in the Holy Spirit. To be free of the weightiness of possessions, to be radically freed from anxieties of daily life, to release anything that is choking us or blinding us from the reality that we can cast all of our cares upon God, because He cares for us. There is a liberation that comes with celebration. He has turned our mourning into dancing…there is reason to celebrate!
Amidst the thick fog of pain, poverty, injustice and struggle that I see and encounter daily here in India—even amidst seemingly irreparable brokenness—I can see the reality of the Kingdom stirring heavily in the lives of believers I meet. A reality that brings an inextinguishable, inexpressible, even absurd peace…and joy. Joy that is found in the obedience of living a life consumed by Christ and trusting Him. Joy so rich that, naturally, it ensues celebration.
The church body here in Rameswaram recently entered a time of celebration—an annual period of twenty-one days dedicated to corporate prayer. Prayer meetings occur twice a day in the church—one in the morning and a second that rolls deep into the night. When praying together, thankfulness and celebration seem to overflow. A few days ago, during the middle of a prayer session, the entire church started to sing and dance—for no other reason than to praise God for the ways He has been faithful. At first, I couldn’t stop laughing at the sight—everyone from grey-haired grandpas to wobbly-legged toddlers were skipping and dancing around the straw mats lining the floor of the church. It felt like the dance floor at a spirited wedding reception…Indian style. I found myself immersed in a joyful moment of celebration. Before long I was clasping hands with a petite pathi (grandma) smiling wide with a toothless grin as we alternately kicked our legs from side to side—our heads thrown back in laughter. I can’t say I’ve ever entered into a time of outright dancing in church before. But there was something glorious about it! Our dancing extended beyond recreation—it was a way of exalting God’s goodness and ever-present faithfulness in each of our lives.
Lately, reasons to celebrate seem countless. After months of prayer over issues that seemed to be stewing in a stagnant stupor, God has reminded me that He is a God of action that indeed listens to my prayers and the cries of each individual back at home prayerfully partnering to see God’s Kingdom come here in Rameswaram. A God that has been working all along to carry His masterful plans into completion. Plans that exceed mine—or those of any other human being— by a long shot.
Through prayers lifted up for the orphans on campus and a meeting with the pastors to make an attempt to express my concerns for the girls’ futures and well being, I have watched God’s faithfulness unfold as new strategies are being made to heighten the present living conditions and further the progress for the desired end goal—watching the girls enter loving, forever families through adoption. While adoption is the long-term goal, immediate short-term goals are being met presently. Just yesterday, a beneficial “transition home” was established in a separate room of the orphanage. With two full-time caretakers, it will provide a medial environment for the babies from the infant home to enter during toddler-age until they are prepared to adjust to living with an older age group of girls. Another short-term goal of setting up each girl with an older female “mentor” is being organized and fulfilled.
The newest littlest miracle to celebrate on campus is Kristina, a six day old baby girl and rescued near-victim of female infanticide. Rebekah and I have been visiting her nightly, holding her petite seven-pound frame, kissing her soft forehead and thanking Jesus that she’s been given a second chance at life.
Reasons to celebrate extend beyond the campus walls here in Rameswaram. I received an email from Justin this week relaying experiences from his sojourn to North India and the disaster sites of Orissa. He wrote:
“When I was touring in the North, people kept having me preach and pray for people. I must have prayed for a hundred people. I kept praying in my head, ‘Jesus, I'm not sure I have the faith to see these people healed, but I know you can. Can you give them the faith? At least have one of these people healed so they are encouraged about you.’ I just got an email from the pastors in Calcutta that most of the people experienced healing…Praise Jesus! Oh, thank our amazing Lord that he'd have mercy on a faithless wretch like me and on a ton of people who have no hope outside of His provision... He's SO GOOD!”
Justin is right, He is so good. Good enough to heal the sick. Care for orphans. Rescue a child from the threshold of death and give her new life. Provide Jenitta and her four daughters with the financial provision to cover two years of their education through a generous sponsor from the states. Give Gheeta her first sound night’s sleep after a month of restlessness.
His goodness leaves me hungry for more. I’ve tasted the Kingdom of the here-and-now and I am aching for the Kingdom to come…the Kingdom perfected in eternity. The day when faith becomes sight. The day when we are freed from the burden of possessions, through with sickness, relieved from pain, done with sin…the day when death is destroyed and Truth prevails. The day that “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:10). The day that marks the beginning of an eternity of celebration.
Praise Jesus!!! He is always working for His good even when we think there is no possible way! Thank you for sharing these praises! We love you and miss you!
ReplyDeleteSweet Abbie,
ReplyDeleteI am inspired to be joyful today, purposefully making myself aware of how good God is!! Thank you. I love you soooooooooo much! -Momma
A new baby? I want pictures!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I've rarely heard the heart of the Kingdom expressed more clearly than your last paragraph. Wow.