“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”--Colossians 4:2 NIV
Beth Ann's Estounding Estonia Ministry
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
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“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”--Colossians 4:2 NIV
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”--Colossians 4:2 NIV
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Kolgata’s Cross
By Stephanie Staley
I recently returned from the 2 week mission trip with Beth Ann and three others from Stapleton Fellowship Church. We traveled to Estonia to serve alongside our missionary partners, Crick and Mindy Porier. The trip was filled with remarkable moments that could easily fill a blog.
I recently returned from the 2 week mission trip with Beth Ann and three others from Stapleton Fellowship Church. We traveled to Estonia to serve alongside our missionary partners, Crick and Mindy Porier. The trip was filled with remarkable moments that could easily fill a blog.
Estonia is a
singularly beautiful, almost magical place. In our brief time serving there, we
were blessed to explore medieval cities, camp in rain-touched fields, swim in
tranquil lakes, stroll through forests of birch, and even shiver in underground
caves. Each day was vibrant and felt like a tender gift from God.
The most
cherished experiences of course were with the people we met there. We connected
with youth at Sailing Camp and made many new friends (not just from Estonia,
but from around the world). We were treated to the gracious hospitality of our
host families from Kolgata church in Tartu. We worshiped alongside these fellow
believers at the Nuutsaku family camp. We shared our testimonies and rejoiced
in baptisms together.
But there was
one moment in particular that I want to write about. It stood out because it
has been something on which I have been reflecting ever since. It was a seed,
and God is making it grow. I do not yet know what it will become.
On our last
full day in Tartu, we arranged to host an American-style barbeque at the
Kolgata church building. While preparing for it in the afternoon, we took a
break and I wandered into the sanctuary to rest. It was quiet and peaceful.
Light from the stained glass windows filtered down onto the wooden pews. The
pipes of an organ filled one wall, and a large cross hung at the front and
center of the room.
I took a
photo of the cross. It is a beautiful example of the Estonian aesthetic:
simple, clean and white, yet embellished with an intricate flowery design.
Behind it, a glow illuminates words that trace the horizontal bar of the cross.
It was easy for me to decipher the first two words: “Jeesus Kristus.” Under
them is a phrase I didn’t know: “maailma ainus lootus.” As I gazed at the
cross, the pastor came into the sanctuary. I asked him, “Pastor Leho, what do
the words on the cross mean?” He looked up, smiled, and said, “Jesus Christ,
the only hope of the world.”
He went on to tell me that the cross had
been created as a gift for the church by a young lady who had come to Christ through a Kolgata youth camp. I wondered about her, what those words meant to her personally. I
wondered about her life before and after accepting Christ as her Savior.
Since then, I
have been thinking about what those words mean to me too. I’ve been ruminating,
letting them sink in. Experiencing them anew for myself.
Do you ever
face the temptation to lose hope? I think all of us, if we’re honest (if we’re
human), have been there. There is so much darkness in this world. Estonia
certainly has its share. The wounds of Nazi and Soviet occupation still linger
there. There is widespread atheism and many people succumb to alcoholism and suicide. Those problems aren’t unique to Estonia, of course.
They could describe Denver too.
In fact,
darkness is all around us. None of us is immune. However, the darkness that
troubles me the most is not the darkness around me. It is the darkness that
comes from within me. We all contribute to the pain of this world. As it says
in Romans 3:12, “No one does good, not a
single one.” We have all been the one to hurt someone else, whether we
meant to or not.
So sometimes
I am tempted to despair. Perhaps not on a bright Sunday among smiling faces,
but alone, during a dark night, when the weight of present troubles seems
crushing. There is a broken relationship, something I see no way to fix, some
profound disappointment or hurt, a regret that is haunting me.
During those
times, darkness can loom. It threatens to overwhelm me, even as I pray. I tell myself to count
my blessings, but sometimes I let the funk interrupt that too. I may mutter
bitterly, “Sure, there is some good. But you know what? It’s not enough!
There’s not enough good in this world to outweigh all the pain and ugliness!”
And so I teeter on the brink of a dangerous conclusion: “Nothing matters.”
If I stayed
there, life would be unbearable. It would probably become a trail of
distraction, entertainment, and pleasure-seeking—anything to numb
the pain. But thankfully, God has been faithful in those dark nights to show me
a pivot. He has shown me the only thing that can restore hope. In the midst of
the blackness, an image forms in my mind. It is a Man. He is hanging on a
cross. I recognize Him. I am compelled to answer this question: “Can you look
upon My Son and say that nothing matters?” I let the truth break like dawn.
“No, Lord,” I whisper back, “I cannot.”
When I am
tempted to despair, by the grace of God I can turn my eyes to Jesus. When I
recall what He did, how He died to save a wretch like me, I can no longer question
that the darkness of this world outweighs the light. The world mattered enough to God that He sent His one and only Son into it to save it. There on Calvary’s cross, and only there, in that one act of love, God
gave us enough light to outweigh all the darkness for all time. As it says in
John 1:4-5, “His life brought light to
everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never
extinguish it.”
Jesus is the
only hope of the world. This is not just an idea with which to agree. It is a
truth to experience. It changes everything. Because of Jesus, I have hope. He willingly stepped down into darkness to live among us, a real man in real history. He endured the worst this world has to offer. He lived the sinless life I cannot live, and laid His life down so I can be forgiven and reconciled to God.
Then He defeated death and rose again! I can endure the troubles of this life knowing He is with me. And by His grace, I will spend eternity with
Him. Because of Jesus, we can – we must – soar to this conclusion: Everything
matters!
And so I rise. What will I
do with this? I have to seek His answer for me and walk it out, letting Him tend to what is broken around me and within me. But one thing is clear: I cannot not be part of taking this
message to the ends of the earth. This planet is full of
precious people who face despair in a broken world. They don’t have that pivot
during their dark nights. They can’t turn and see Jesus on the cross, because
no one has told them about Him, no one is showing them. They desperately need
His forgiveness, salvation, and hope.
“But how can they call on Him to save them
unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never
heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?”
(Romans 10:14)
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Friday, March 27, 2015
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