Reconciliation in Christ المصالحة في المسيح

A blog site dedicated to showing the world the reconciliation that God offers to us and between us through the blood of Christ--the blood He shed in love for us and for all nations, to make us one with Him, and one in Him, for eternity.

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Jesus in the Balkans

Hey guys--
My friend Mary, who was with our group in Kosovo and Turkey, wrote a newsletter which I really enjoyed, and I wanted to put part of it here. (Thanks, Mary.)

-------------------------------------------------
[about her trip to Kosovo...] I really didn't know anything about Kosovo when I got on the plane to go there (which was a first for me), and I was totally shocked and amazed as I listened to people tell stories about their experience as Kosovar Albanians. These people have been through so much: war, ethnic persecution, oppression, economic hardship, occupation....and more. I heard stories from people my own age who had lived through such terrible atrocities; it was an extremely humbling experience that brought so much clarity and perspective for me to the issue of suffering and pain.

Why? Because as I spoke with these Albanian Christians I saw in them the most beautiful and amazing thing I've ever witnessed in my entire life, and probably the most beautiful thing I'll ever see on earth: Jesus. I know that sounds so cliche-pop-Christian-culture (you know that "veggie tale" language, that "hi-de-le ho neighbor" Ned Flanders-esque Christianese that exists in America, but I really mean it in the most profound sense). Truly what I witnessed was Jesus as He REALLY IS-- POWERFUL, BEAUTIFUL, SIGNIFICANT, PRACTICAL, LOVING, PEACEFUL, ALIVE, ACTIVE, CARING, AND AWARE--at work in them from their most shallow/mundane actions (visiting with friends, cooking dinner for guests, riding on busses) to their very profound actions (embracing serbians and turks) .

These Albanian Christians told me their stories. One girl told me how she used to have nightmares every night, she had tremors, and she had total and complete hatred for the Serbs. As she began to learn about Jesus and then ultimately decided to accept His life and His death for hers, she was freed from the nightmares and was able to sleep through the night again. She had peace and was able to speak and hear the Serbian language without cringing in hatred, and even now she is able to say with honesty that she LOVES the serbs! If you could only understand the depth of the evil that has transpired between these two ethnicities you would understand what a miracle this really is. And to be frank, this is just like Jesus: showing His power not in His sheer force to squelch or beat down, but in his power to bring LOVE and PEACE to a heart embittered with hatred. It's easy to hate; it is ONLY divine to love.

But the love that I saw in Kosovo didn't stop with just seeing how God was working among the Church to plant the seed of reconciliation. The church in Kosovo also went on its first mission trip this year and sent a team to Turkey. I had the privilege of attending this historic event, and saw the Holy Spirit do amazing things in the hearts of the Kosovar Albanians. Each one began to confess and realize during their time in Turkey that they had hatred in their hearts for the Turks as well. The Turks were the ones who brought Islam to the Balkans during the Ottoman empire, and did many horrific things to the people in this region during this empire as well. One Kosovar Albanian girl shared with us how she was struggling with hating the Turks as soon as she got there b/c of how modern and easy Turkish life was compared to how they left her country. She then shared with us a few days later how, sitting on a hammock overlooking the city of Istanbul, she felt God lift her eyes to see all the twinkling lights of Istanbul. And, she says, she heard that gentle, quiet whisper of God's voice telling her that each light represented at least one person, and He knew each light, and He loved each person. That encounter with God blew her away. God had already done so much in her to give her forgiveness and a love for the Serbs (who were committing genocide against her people), and now God was showing her that He wasn't finished: He wanted her to love the Turks as well.

You see, God wants us to be like Him, and He IS LOVE (I John 1-4). I'm so encouraged to tell you today that I KNOW my God is love and that He IS involved in our lives in very, very practical ways. It was getting the chance to witness how God is at work across the Globe that helped me to KNOW that Christianity is not a western thing; it's not an American thing; it's not a Republican thing (I'm a democrat!); it's a KNOWING JESUS thing.

And while we were in Turkey, we went to a Turkish church, with Albanian Kosovars. That sentence right there should blow your mind: ALBANIAN BELIEVERS GOING TO A TURKISH CHURCH!!!! It was so cool. The Kosovars shared their testimony and then the Turkish followers of Jesus got together and prayed for the Albanians. One man then stepped forward (he was a turk), and asked for forgiveness on behalf of all of his forefathers and his country; there was not a dry eye in the entire place at that point! Later the Albanians shared with us how that moment right there was SO important in their hearts to be able to forgive and heal from the past hurts. Now, the Turkish church is excited about inviting the Kosovars to come and work in Turkey with them, and also about sending Turks to Kosovo! A bridge was made for more peace making work to happen, reconciling men to each other and men to God. PRAISE GOD!

I was so disillusioned with the American church and our culture, to be quite frank. I am so glad I went on this trip and was reminded by all I saw how BLESSED I am to be an American (even with all the valid criticisms I have), and how GRATEFUL I am for suffering, because it can accomplish something in us (James 4): the perfection of our character, and CHRIST-LIKENESS! I've learned from the Albanian Christians that Christianity is about inviting Jesus into every aspect of your life. It's about crying out to Him from a sincere place in your heart with every whim of your heart in any of its directions. It's simply about Knowing Christ, not knowing about Christ. Do you know the difference? That's my one and only challenge to you as your family/friend.

Thursday, November 25, 2004

Thanksgiving in the Middle East

Hello everybody,

It's Thanksgiving! And to my surprise, that actually means something for me here! Last year when I was in Lebanon, I figured Thanksgiving would pass by just like any other day, since Lebanese of course don't celebrate it. But to my delight, we were invited to a nice big dinner at some American friends' house, had a wonderful party. But, I thought, two years in a row being surprised by Thanksgiving dinners in the Middle East would be too much.

I was wrong! I found out last Friday that the House of Hope (a house for disabled and blind children) was hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for its volunteers as well as others in the area, so I get to go have a Thanksgiving dinner in about a half an hour! Praise Jesus! MOREOVER, the church I've been attending in Jerusalem is having ANOTHER Thanksgiving dinner after church on Sunday here in Bethlehem, so I'll get not one, but TWO Thanksgiving celebrations in the middle of the West Bank!! Who would have thought? Pumpkin pie will never taste so good!

And another reason to be thankful--I realized that I have a three month visa in my passport, rather than the month that I was under the impression I'd been given. Which means I don't need to spend $200 to go to Jordan and back for a day, which really would have been silly. And it means I'll be here for Christmas, and get to enjoy all the fun that brings. =) (On top of that, somebody said it might even snow here tomorrow! Now that would be something--snowy white Bethlehem, right around Christmastime.)

Okay, I hope everybody wherever they are enjoys this Thanksgiving day, and every day gives thanks to God for all the super duper things He gives us. =)

Seth

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Hope amidst challenges

Hello,

God bless you all! I've been very busy here, but enjoying myself for the most part. I feel like I still have so much to learn about the place here. It's very complicated sometimes.

I started taking Hebrew classes this Sunday, which is great, it'll be two times a week until February. I already missed three classes (that's nine hours worth), so even for me it's challenging. =) But God willing I'll catch up in not too long. It's fun for sure, I'd like to meet more of the people in the class. Another cool thing recently is on Saturday I picked olives all day at a church in Jerusalem, we got so dirty! I didn't realize olive picking entails so much dirt. There were two ladies from Papua New Guinea helping out, along with a Nigerian girl and some other interesting people.

There's a big group of people from Europe and America visiting the college right now (which is the main reason I've been so busy--cleaning and cooking for them), they're with some kind of Christian reconciliation group. I wish I could attend the classes they're getting--it sounds like some really cool stuff. One thing I overheard which I wanted to share was a family who lives about halfway between here and Hebron. They have some property that they've owned for a long, long time, with deeds registered the Palestinian Authority, the Israelis, the Jordanians, the British and even the Ottomans. Yet still they've had challenge after challenge from settlers to prove that the land is really theirs, and not have it taken away. Who knows how much they've had to pay in legal fees just to keep the land that has been theirs for centuries. And yet, what was really tremendous to me was what they want to do with the land--they are planning on building a summer camp center where Israeli and Palestinian kids can get together and build relationships that can lead to peace. Wow! Imagine having to fight so hard just to keep your land from being stolen, and then turning and saying, "We want you to be our guests to help build peace in this land." That's a tremendous testimony. May God bless them.

There's definitely a lot of stuff going on under the surface here, far more than I know. But what gives me real hope is to see people who have been transformed by God's love for them in Jesus, and who can then turn to others and "forgive, as the Lord forgave you."

Love you all, whomever you might be. Pray that God would keep my heart loving Him and loving every single person I come into contact here.

In Jesus,

Seth