The Hand of Friendship

[The Great Multitude in White Robes] After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

- Revelation 7:9

I sat down with God's people and collected myself for worship. Out of the corner of my eye I caught an old friend almost gasping for air in excitement as his eyes met mine. He rose to his feet and unapologetically climbed over others to sit beside me and give me his characteristic bear hug, cheek to cheek. 

As we worshipped God with abandon, I looked down and realized he was turned the other way, facing the latecomers as they walked in as unobtrusively as possible. He stuck out his hand to each one for a warm, extended handshake, pointing persistently at the seat next to him, but much to his disappointment, the strangers all shrugged their shoulders regretfully, pointing to a chair ahead, and disappearing back into the crowd. 

He refused to give up and continued to shake strangers hands as the mixed diversity of his company of friends grew, "from every nation, tribe, people and language." The world had arrived at his doorstep, and he was the first to open the door into the throne room of God for all to enter in.

Finally, a couple of men from Jamaica, as it turned out, sat down with us, much to his satisfaction. He clasped their hands with a firm, bracing handshake, and turned to me and smiled, pointing back at them until he was sure I understood the significance of the moment. I nodded and smiled, extending my hand in friendship.   

How Does Jesus Choose His Friends?

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

- John 15:16

Today we launched a new small-group for participants of our Volunteer Work Experience Program. Both clients and their support workers who expressed interest joined in an exploration of friendship with God and each other. We focused today on the friendships that have formed our lives and how God has all the qualities of the perfect friend we're looking for. 

Each of the members had an opportunity to dramatically show off their acting skills as we laughed through various scenarios depicting friendship at its best and worst; we brainstormed and identified the different qualities that mysteriously draw friends together and we played a game of 'Friendship Bingo' to determine the qualities that we look for in a friend. One member of the group was sure she had no friends at all until she looked closely at the friendship qualities on the Bingo card and friends from many walks of life came to mind filling the spaces. As it turned out, she was the first to cry, "Bingo."

We opened our Bibles for spiritual insight as we considered why we choose our friends, thumbing through the pages until we all found the verse we were looking for. I asked the members of the group how they feel when they hear Jesus say, "I chose you"? Tears formed in the eyes of one lady, "I was never chosen by others because of my disability", she said. "I was always left out. Everyone would choose the popular ones to be friends with. Nobody wanted to be with me. So when I hear Jesus telling me that he chose me I feel like someone wants me. I feel important. I am God's chosen friend, even if others don't choose me."

It may be true that at all times God is present, yet there are times when God's felt presence is touchable. We were all touched right then by her vulnerability and simple faith. We are not alone. We have been chosen by a Friend who promises never to leave us. 

God Bless And Watch Over Wonderful You!

For this is what the high and lofty One says -

he who lives forever, whose name is holy:

"I live in a high and holy place,

but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,

to revive the spirit of the lowly

and to revive the heart of the contrite."

- Isaiah 57:15

There is a man in our congregation who loves to send e-cards. When I see him in person I can expect that he'll eagerly ask if I took the time to read his cards online and for my review of his work, so I have been careful not to take these thoughtful cards crafted with careful consideration for granted. Today I opened up my e-mail to find two of his e-cards waiting to be opened, one lined up after another in my inbox. The first e-card displayed the message "God bless wonderful you." The second e-card calling to mind, "My God watch over you." 

For a moment I breathed deeply into God's presence and left the other distractingly urgent e-mails into the good hands of God.  I let the message sink in, a message I've grown up with and have gratefully never outgrown: God is good, God is great. God is fully immanent and transcendent, near enough to bless the lowly in spirit and sovereign enough to watch over wonderful you. I thanked God for His immanental transcendence and returned to my work with the revived heart of the humbled.  

Slow Burning Bush

Look at the nations and watch -

and be utterly amazed.

For I am going to do something in your days

that you would not believe,

even if you were told.

- Habakkuk 1:5

Do not put out the Spirit's fire

- 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Tonight we hosted our first Special Needs Ministry commissioning service for our mission team (including six adults with developmental disabilities) who are heading to Mexico this week, reaching out in ministry with our local partner church in Puerto Vallarta. They will be engaged in advocacy work, education and evangelism while they are there, and of course, they are also anticipating exotic food, fun on the beach, and for most of them, the exhilaration of their first international trip. 

I was pleasantly surprised how many people showed up for this event, revealing how deeply loved and highly valued the members of the team are to our church. I invited the mission team to join me up front and made note of the crowds, expressing to the team how popular they are. "Oh, c'mon Pastor Dallas", one of the team members blurted out behind me, "you're popular too, in your own way." 

Our Special Needs Ministry room was packed full of family members, friends and caregivers, to join us in prayer and to hear the mission team share from their expectant hearts.  One of the team member's hands shot up unhesitatingly; "I would like everyone to know", he said, "I love you all and you are all special to me."

I looked across our cramped room of familiar faces, many who have shared their lives with this man for years; some who are lesser known (but not insignificant through his undiscriminating eyes) and higher profile leaders in our expansive congregation (including the full representation of our executive leadership team and senior pastor). 

I knew that the people of our mission team had influenced many lives from diverse backgrounds in our church, reconfiguring the church itself, but as I looked out across the many faces of recognition, looking up to and not down on the team standing in front of them, eye-to-eye as the hands and feet of Jesus on behalf of our church to the world, I could see the wider embrace of the extended family of God. We gathered around our mission team and laid hands on them, commissioning our team in prayer, sending them out in the world with love and thanksgiving in our hearts for new creative possibilities in God's global mission.

After covering our mission team in prayer our associate pastor invited us all to take two full steps into the centre of the circle for a big group hug, preparing the team for the "heat of Mexico." We all held each other tightly in the sweltering heat, with laughter and the cleansing fire of the Spirit of God consuming the remnants of unbelief.   

Sticking Together

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

- Matthew 18:20

It can be challenging to work in an inclusive environment of mixed abilities and speak across able-bodied / disabled barriers. I'm always looking for creative multi-sensory activities that address diverse learning styles and abilities. One activity that never fails though is eating, and one thing we can all agree on is our love for sweets. 

Tonight I brought out a bag of M+M's and asked each person around our circle to pick out at least one and no more than five M+M's. After everyone had chosen their M+M's I placed colored topical cards on the table, with each color matching the M+M's and representing different topics (e.g. yellow=family, orange=sports, green=hobby, etc.). Each individual than had an opportunity to pick one M+M out of their hand and talk about that topic. 

One person opened up his clenched fist and with his other hand held up a brown M+M. My heart sank at the sight of the unmistakably brown M+M held high for all to see. Brown represented the topic "God", and I didn't know how he could possibly share anything meaningful about God, when due to the nature of his disability he was incapable of speaking.

There was an awkward silence and unsure how to fill the silence, I turned to others; "Do you have a question about God for him?" The lady sitting beside me shot her hand up eagerly, "Do you think God is awesome?" with emphasis on the word awesome to stress the outrageousness of her question. He looked up with deep trusting love in his eyes and smiled broadly at us; his confidence in the sovereign care of God apparent to all.

We all praised God for His awe-inspiring sovereignty and for being called together in God's wondrous presence. We all praised God, some quietly and others boisterously, for speaking to us through the most profoundly vulnerable, disabled person among us. From my heart, I praised God for exposing my disabling attitude and practices.

Brett Webb-Mitchell, author of Dancing With Disabilities, writes:

"A great many people with developmental, emotional or physical disabilities have been kept out of the church, because a great many people who appear 'normal' misunderstand the church. Families with and advocates for people with disabilities are often asked by church leaders, "What can they do in church?" or "What will they get out of it?" Some church leaders think of the church and God in pragmatic terms: You can only be a part of this exclusive club if you can do something, and you can't get something by doing nothing."

It was a misunderstanding on my part. My pragmatism had blinded me and I almost missed out on what God wanted to do for all of us, and what he wanted us to get, by sticking together in our dependence on God and inter-dependence with each other.