Payable On Death - The Rescue Mission
“God doesn't want something from us. He simply wants us.” – C.S. Lewis
Hello Dear Friend,
It’s raining so heavily that before I know it, I’m drenched and freezing as I look up to see a sign hanging above the doorway to a darkened pub in a quaint little village somewhere in the Irish countryside. I take a moment to stand in the threshold as my eyes quickly take in the scene stretched out in front of me before I make my way to the bar. I notice off in the darkened corner stands a large bistro table with one lonely candle setting off a low glow. The table is a bit bulky and rugged in appearance but sturdy and solid much like the three huddled around it with their heads low and deep in conversation. I grab a pint and thank the bar keep before taking my seat at the only vacant table. Yep, you guessed it! The only unoccupied chair in the crowded pub just happens to sit right beside the table of the burly crew I was just observing. A bit intimidated, I move towards them and take my seat as one glances my way while casually offering me a quick smile before getting absorbed back into conversation. Funny how that smile seemed to tug my heart strings for a moment before I quickly brush it off as nothing but a quick and fleeting kind gesture from a stranger. Although loud voices carry throughout the pub and seem to fill every inch with a noisy buzz I’m somehow still able to hear the conversation taking place beside me quite clearly.
I sit down just in time to hear one of them speak in a loud and determined tone, “I love them!” He says as a large palm of a hand meets the flattop of wood. I have my back to their table and the defiant thud startles me as I jump a little.
“I love them!” The words echoed in my head as I take a sip from my frothy glass. I found myself wondering who does he love and why? And did I just detect a twinge of sadness in his voice? Then the one to the right of him spoke in a lower more hushed tone.
“Alright then, it’s settled. I’ll save them.” He stated soberly peering into the first ones eyes.
Save them?! I took another swallow.
“Son…” I could hear a father’s heartbreak as the word came out.
“Dad!” The second argued, “You love them therefore I love them. If I don’t rescue them then who will? If not me, then who will save them?”
I peered over my left shoulder ever so slightly to see the one who had spoken first looking back at his son with a grim expression that carried a heavy sadness in his eyes. “Son…”
“I know.” He interrupted in a whisper which he then repeated. His words came out ever so softly and I think they were intended more for himself than anyone else. “I know what I just agreed to. I know the cost. I know the sacrifice, I will be that lamb. I will come and I will be their Savior. Do it! Send me.”
The third one had been silent up until now but finally spoke, “Okay then. Now that that's been decided.” He inserted his thoughts to the conversation, “I will stay with them. I will follow them and be their companion for as long as their journey has them walk this earth. They will never be alone.”
Wow, I thought. Who is the “them” that they speak of? Must be some pretty special people, high class and social standings and super important for one to have declared his love for them. The next to have basically offered to go to the depths to save them and the third has promised to stay with them for the rest of their days. Who could they be? The curiosity was getting to me as I turned my head over my shoulder once more to steal a glance of the faces belonging to the voices I was hearing. My mouth dropped open in disbelief. There was no one there! Nothing but dusty shadowed walls. It was then that I came to realize that I am the one occupying the table in the dark corner of the crowded pub.
Bewildered, I shook my head slightly “I’m losing it,” I muttered under my breathe. I turn back around tipping my glass upward to finish what was left of my drink and almost jump out of my seat as my eyes meet one of the figures at the table, my table. The only part of His face that is visible are His eyes and they are piercing eyes staring into my own as He began to speak, “It’s you. You are the one I love. I love you.” He then made a gesture over to the man tending the bar, “I love him.” He raises His hands and while stretching His arms out to open them wide He says, “I love them.”
“You are the one I saved.” He continued. “My Son left the comforts of His heavenly home and came down to earth to save you. He came to save him.” Again, He glances over at the bartender. “He came to save them.” Motioning towards the crowded tables and looking on either side. “He came to save the world.”
“You are the one that I will be with forever and always.” He continues. “Wherever you go, whatever you do, you will never be alone – even in your darkest days I will there with you. My Spirit lives in you. My Spirit lives in him. My Spirit lives in them.”
For God So Loved The World...
Love came down. The fall of Adam set God's rescue mission into motion. From when Eve was deceived by the serpent God summoned the angel, Gabriel, to tell a virgin teenager she would give birth to the Messiah. As Eve handed Adam the forbidden fruit God watched Jesus being arrested, beaten and falsely accused. When Adam stood in the garden and grabbed hold of that fruit, God saw His only Son hanging from a tree. And as Adam's teeth bit into what was forbidden God heard the final breath leave His Son's lungs and in the moment Jesus cried, “Father, why have You forsaken me?” God asked Adam, “Where are you?”
Where are you this Holy Week? Are you caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life? Are you weighed down with stress and overcome with fear of what tomorrow may bring? Do you doubt your worth? Have you lost your faith? Are you hopeless and confused? Have you lost sight of who you are and forgotten that you’ve been chosen by God? Are you so consumed by the distractions forged by the enemy that you’ve forgotten to remember the simple truth illustrated above?
“Do you know what my happy thought was? It was you!" – Peter Banning, Hook
Jesus came down from the comforts of Heaven because love sent Him. Unconditional love was and still is the root of this perfectly planned rescue mission. God loves you. He sees you. He picks you. Every time – God chooses you. He wants you. You matter. You are loved by the almighty. From the very beginning, the dawn of creation, Jesus had His eyes fixed on you. He came to show us grace and mercy and to offer us hope and forgiveness and to grant us healing. He came to bring life, everlasting, for you and for me. So as we take this week to remind ourselves of the journey Jesus took to the cross let us remember that it was all for love. God loves you and He chooses you above everything else.
Death was defeated. Nails couldn't hold Him down, the grave couldn't keep Him in and Hell couldn't keep Him out. He reigns. Jesus came, He kicked ass and He proved that we are loved by the Hero of our soul.
With love,
Comments