Three messages this morning. One in my inbox, one on my newsfeed and another from the Bible.
All singing the same song it seemed.
Jesus
It started with the Bible. I was reading in early Mark. Jesus is declared God’s beloved Son at his baptism, the Spirit is poured out on him and then, immediately, he is led into the wilderness. Hunger, isolation, wild animals (imminent physical threat), testing, and attending angels.
And something in that time is formed. Because when he returns he operates in such incredible authority that humans and evil spirits alike are bewildered.
Kenya
Then in my inbox, this from IJM.
“Praise God for a significant conviction in Kenya of a police officer who shot a fisherman and then accused two bystanders of a crime to keep them quiet about the murder.
We are praising God for the work of our partners during the five years that it took to complete the trial. Pray that the news of this conviction would be heard far and wide so that police would know there is accountability under the law and any abuse of defenseless citizens will result in prosecution.”
5 years. 5 years. Seriously.
I read that and thought about how many trips those IJM lawyers had made over dusty, potted roads to courthouses. How many knock-backs? How many mocking voices? How many desperate prayers…? And then… Justice.
These stories shoot steel in our bones, don’t they?
Mars
Then in my newsfeed,
NASA/JPL-CALTECH
The first high-res colour image from NASA’s Mars rover named… Perseverance. Can I begin to imagine the hours invested in this particular project? Wikipedia informs me NASA announced it conceptually in 2012.
The passage, the update and the picture all tell the same story.
Perseverance pays. Eventually. So hang in there.
Paul, writing to the little church in Galatia, encourages them with these words:
“Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.
So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith. (Galatians 6:7-10, The Message).
Boom.