Trust Brings Peace

I’m setting here in our empty living room wondering, “where is everyone”. Tonight we are reestablishing our church’s Friday evening home group… and I am at peace. I am at peace because I trust everyone that was invited. I trust them when they are here and I trust them when they are not. They are where they need to be. They are where Jesus sent his followers, “out there”. Some are with family or friends while others are working or playing a gig. We are just as much the church when dispersed as assembled. Wherever we are, we’re being salt and light (or at least trying to be). Trust brings peace, and there is no better foundation on which to reestablish this Friday group.

Getting what we ask for…

I’m in the middle of reviewing class material for my last two comprehensive exams this week.  One of the classes is World Christianity.  Our world is changing.  The west (Northern hemisphere) is no longer the center of gravity for Christianity.  That has shifted to the South…  Central/South America, Africa and Asia.  And for the most part, their form of Christianity is very conservative.  “By 2050, only about one-fifth of the world’s 3 billion Christians will be non-Hispanic Whites.”  Unfortunately the western Church still acts as if all eyes are on her when in fact the rest of the world couldn’t give a “flying do-da” about how many “mega-churches” we have.  Much less what we have to say (kind of like you with me).  As I was looking at this material these thoughts came to mind…

 

For years I have heard American Christians (mostly Evangelical) bemoan the state of morality in our country.  Sincerely praying that America would “return to its roots” and that God would save us from the barbarians at our gates.  Now generally when God answers prayer it is not in the way we expect and I believe this is no exception.  We pray expecting him to change everything but us.

 

What if the influx of Hispanics (both legal and illegal) is his answer to our prayers?  Religiously they are Christian, morally they are conservative and they have strong “family values”.  If only they were white and spoke English, they would be perfect!  I say 3 out of 5 isn’t bad.  But God wants to change us through our prayers, and one of our (my) greatest sins is pride.  He opposes it!  He wants me to lay it down.  Do we find ourselves opposing the very answer to our prayers?  Pride keeps us from receiving the very thing we need… GRACE.  And that grace comes in many forms.