Those Days and These Days

LUKE 2: Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

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It's Christmas--the time when we revisit the stories of the shepherds and wise men, we hark the herald angels, and try to give joy to the world, along with receiving some for ourselves. As we consider the context of the first Christmas, we realize that God's people had not heard from God in about 400 years. Experiencing silence from God can sometimes rock your faith, if you are accustomed to hearing from Him. In fact, I would venture to say that some of us who regularly spend time with Him in the Word, or in prayer, and have God in us (the Holy Spirit), can not really bear to go too long without a Word from Him. We can look back to the days before we knew Jesus as Savior to remember how hopeless life was without Him. The alienation was frightening. Those of us who have known Him, however, haven't had to ever relive that reality. Without His interaction in our spirit, we might feel something like George Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life. After a bit, we might just get used to and try to make the best of silence from Him. We might just begin to believe it is all up to us, and then surrender to the hopeless alienation of separation from the true lover of our souls.

God regularly gathered His children in to Him through the celebrations and feasts including sacrifices made at the temple, which were meant to help them remember they belonged to Him and He to them. They could not only remember what He had done for them, but were also by them tracing a future that God was in the process of shaping for them. A divine timeline taught through such times as Passover, and Feast of Trumpets, etc.,,

In these days

Unlike the Christmas story participants, we have Him inside the real us. We observe weekly worship and daily devotions. But if, in all of this, God stopped His life-breathing connection through His Spirit to our spirits, and the Word was only words lacking meaning, what might happen to our relationship with Him? It does take two to have relationship. Might we begin to doubt His promises for us would be fulfilled?

So consider the nagging divine silence interrupted at long last, when trumpets of angels began to herald God's presence with the lowliest and neediest in a big way. Prophecy-fulfilling, sin-healing, light bringing, genuine peace with God now had visited the planet! God Himself wrapped in a baby. In the midst of life as normal, at just the right time, God was back in action--again.

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FRESH WINDS

For 45 years now, here in little Adrian, Michigan the work of counseling and prayer at the Mission has continued on. For the past 18 years, lives have been touched, healed, and changed within the walls of the Wolf Creek building. Everything has been comfortably broken in and the building utilized as this lighthouse continues to serve its purposes. The needs of a building nearly 20 years old must continue to be addressed and the operations maintained. Through the leadership of Board and Staff, wonderful, capable volunteers, large donors and small, and especially those who utilize the building, God has provided for every need. And if you were able to attend the Open House for the 45th birthday of the Christian Mission, you might have sensed a new stirring-- fresh wind and fire in every room, because every room and space is being used to reach out to the needs of people through counseling, Bible study, child care, library lending, food prep, retreats, office areas, storage, and groups.

God has been moving palpably since immediately after the party (though some might say God was blowing fresh breezes months ago when Steve May was brought on as Director). God moved on one of the Board members to lead us to recommit the building and staff through prayer, anointing each with oil during our final board meeting of 2018. We sensed a new unfolding of the original prophetic proclamations made over the Mission and its mission. The pictures included here are those of the Board prayer and anointing over the Counselors and building. God is certainly not done here and this, like the visitation of angels long ago on Christmas Eve, has renewed our spiritual vision and energy. We are still watching His divine timeline, in conjunction with and as part of God's overall history of the world. You who read this are part of it. To Him be all the glory as we walk into 2019 and walk out His will.