Jacobs Thoughts and Doings

Several months ago Anna Ruth found that the lens that they inserted after cataracht surgery many years ago simply fell from its pocket which meant she could see almost nothing with that eye.  After many preliminary steps, yesterday they replaced that faulty lens.  This morning she will have the huge bandage removed.  Thanks for your prayers.

On Saturday Anna Ruth and I attended the final concert of the season of the Lancaster Symphonic Orchestra and Chorus.  It was held at the Millersville hall that could accommodate the large crowd.

Guess what it was!  Verdi’s Requiem.  One of my all time favorites.  That was the only piece for the program so we could concentrate on that amazing work.  I kept reminding myself, he is an Italian!  Not Russian or German, or British, but Italian.  The piece had a powerful Italian sound, that is for sure.  In any case, it is music beyond nice, way beyond. I soon forgot Verdi’s nationality and concentrated on the symphony itself.  Magnificent and worshipful.

I felt that it was a wonderful way to close the season.  It still rings in my ear.  I have listened to is several more times since, here at the house.  That is my kind of praise music, with Jesus exalted and adored.

When the Brubakers visited us last evening Sara brought along a few of the painted lady butterflies that she took through the metamporphisis process.  Here is one fully developed.  There is something a bit majical about this beauty.  The children were keen to touch it and help it on its way at our place.  A joy for us!

The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

1 Corinthians 16:19, 20

I love this aside.  Paul reveals much in his few words.  Let’s look at a few.

“Churches in the province of Asia send you greetings.”  Paul is writing to the believers in the mighty city of Corinth were many populations made their homes.   Corinth was indicative of what was happening as the believer groups grew in mixed cultural locations.

A fellowship of believers met in the house of Aquila and Priscilla.  Paul is identifying with this fellowship, sending, in their name so to speak, greetings to other groups of believers in Asia.  This couple amaze me.  They embody the Gospel and provide fellowship for all believers in their community.

I see in this picture that the dynamic church that grew in Turkey was a house church.  No big churches, no mention of synagogues, just homes!  The home of Priscilla and Aquilla, husband and wife, was a live center for growth and learning.  These days we seem to focus on large churches.  I suppose size makes little difference.  Yet is refreshing to see that the early church was a network of homes where believers met.

Having acknowledged their multiethnic mix, Paul surprises us with his final word on the matter. “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”  That is intimacy!  By such kissing the unity is acknowledged and strengthened.

I am always impressed with beauty of our water lilies.  Each blossom is a work of art!  They will bloom much of the year, but the first ones are, for me, the most impressive and most memorable.

Do everything in love.

I Corinthians 16:14

Really?  Is this true?  As I look at my own life, from youth to now, I can see that I was encouraged to hate!  I should hate people who do us harm.  I should hate those who want to harm my nation.  Come to think of it, my culture encourages us to hate anything that would weaken our culture, if I am not mistaken.  Without even thinking of it, I found myself agreeing with this.

As I consider life now, I find that I love those who are like me and fear, if I may use that word, those who are “on the other side of the fence.”  Are there no limits to love?  Maybe I need to reconsider the word, love.  This world is evil, should I not hate that?  Am I not supposed to hate that which my neighbor hates?

I must look to Jesus for answers to this dilemma.  Was he loving the people he was driving from the Temple?  Or did Jesus hate them?  He, himself said, “Love your enemies.”  Even in his hate for the works of Satan his overriding virtue was love.  He loved people enough to alert them to the evils in our world.

What do you think?  Should not Jesus have said, “love some people and hate others?”  I think this is how I respond.

I heard my mother saying often, “Hate the sin but love the sinner.”  I find that helpful.  How about you?

Each Spring we are blessed by the appearance of the luxuriant peony blossoms.  Here is one of the first for this year.  Its delicacy and vitality touches my spirit.  How about you?

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.

I Corinthians 16:13, 14

Paul’s letter to the believers in Corinth contains theology, practice and worship.  As he nears the end of his letter to them he summarizes all he has been instructing them. Be on your guard.  You are out of step with this world, the enemy wants to pull you back into his ways, like others in your culture.  Beware of this.  All believers experience it, always have done and always will do.

Stand firm in the faith.  This is very personal. We do not look to others, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Be courageous.  It is battle, every day, every moment, a battle that you will lose unless the Spirit of the Lord gives you the victory.  Paul speaks not of personal power but of the power of the Spirit in our lives.

Be strong.  In battle, the moment you give up, the enemy pounces on you!  Be strong in the strength of the Spirit and the faith that he gives.

He closes with a sweeping word, Do everything in love.  Many things try to motivate us, including our desire to protect ourselves and to judge others.  I am convinced that we can not do this unless the Spirit of the Lord controls our lives.

Let us turn our ear to our Lord once again, listen and obey.  Then we can move on in joy!

We are forunate in that we have frogs in our pond.  Here is a male and female, holding one another while the female pushes out a plethora of eggs!  Amazing.  In a few weeks we will see wee tadpoles emerging from these eggs. Lots of them.

I feel fortunate I could photograph the scene and see it all happen.

As the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

I Corinthians 12:12,13

I am astounded by the way the Gospel is spreading around the world in our day.  There are still quite a few cultures in which there are none or very few followers of Jesus.  That is a great challenge to missions.  However, while going about seeking the Holy Spirit’s way of bringing people of all cultures to Christ we should not forget that we are in the middle of a harvest that is astounding.  It would not surprise me that today the Gospel is spreading in new groups where there are those who will place their hopes on Jesus.  We are encouraged by the stories we hear of this happening, now!

The second thing that I need to embrace is that all believers drink of one drink, the Holy Spirit, no matter where they come from or the place they occupy in this world.  The unifying feature of all believers is that they drink of the Holy Spirit.  There is one fountain, open to all.  The drink is for all who are thirsty.

We do not only drink the precious spiritual drink, so to speak, we are one body!  Think of that.  There is only one Body of Christ, made up of people of diverse cultures.  We are all baptized into that same Body.  I am used to many denominations, may churches.  I must get used to the fact that we are all in the same Body, that is in Christ Jesus.

I am pleased to be a Mennonite but I am humbled when I think that I am part of the redeemed race that is made up of believers of all races.  That expands my mind and heart to the breaking point.  But it is true.