A Jon Post
I know it’s “that time of year” again. To be honest, I haven’t felt it so much. I don’t want this to be one of those depressing or move-everyone-to-pity-the-poor-African posts or anything… I just want to ask you all to pray with me.
This is my prayer.
O come… O come… Immanuel.
That’s a Christmas song and I find myself praying it often recently.
…From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave…
…Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight…
…And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery…
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
I sat with my wife with a man who just had surgery on his tumor and who lay in agony in the recovery room hundreds of miles from his family. He looked into my eyes and said “Thank you so much for visiting me. Yesterday, I saw some people in here who had family visiting them and I just looked at my empty corner of the room and cried. I knew I had no one to visit me. But you… you are my family. You came to visit me. Thank you.”
O come… O come…
Immanuel
My wife knelt next to a girl who shares her age. She is dying. She has no family except a sister who is very poor and cannot come to visit her. She cannot sit up by herself so whenever Layne comes her contagious smile lights up the room because Layne is the only one who will put her arms around her and help her sit up, if only for an hour.
O come… O come…
Immanuel
I often hold a specific little boy in my arms. He does his best to look healthy and strong but he limps, ever so slightly as he walks. He has deep black marks on his legs and his little body has wasted away from repeated yet futile chemotherapy treatments for his Sarcoma. He’s got one chemotherapy treatment left and then the doctors will send him home. They’ll send him home to die.
O come… O come…
Immanuel
See, there’s a beauty in all of this. All of these stories have a beauty. It’s told in the end of that song.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Immanuel will come. He will come. I know it’s trite and easy to say but when we live here in a reality that is so encompassed in pain, this is our hope.
Immanuel will come.
So yes, to me, to my wife, this is a very merry Christmas. It’s a merry Christmas because we know… we know that we can follow the plea of the title of that song
O come… O come… Immanuel
With the action at the end
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas.
Merrry Christmas From the Hellers
Maranatha…come, Lord Jesus.
My dad was diagnosed with metasticized melanoma two weeks ago. Stage 3 or 4. They meet again with doctors tomorrow to decide on treatment. My dad is doing well, says he will live until he dies and then will really start living. Harder for my mom. I’ve been reflecting about life’s crazy ups and downs. I have this with my dad. I have Zach who just got his permit – a new beginning. I have Katelyn who is graduating – a beginning and an ending. Friends struggling. Friends doing well. It’s all this crazy thing called life and to open our heart to love is to open our heart to pain, but I can’t imagine living any other way.
Wow Jon, As I read this post immediately I thought what Anna said “Maranatha!” Well said Anna…This morning my good friend and brother, your father prayed once again for you, Layne and Anaya. The Spirit brought to mind your name ‘Jon’ and I thought of John the Baptist and how he ushered in the Messiah. I said “This is what Jon is doing in Maputo shering in the Messiah.” Oh what a blessed Christmas this will be Jon as you continue to share the birth and hope of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As you usher these people into eternity we will all be there with you with our prayers, and love. Merry CHRISTmas my brother and son~
Love you man. Praying for you.
By God’s grace, I’ll one day come and join you. Thanks for blazing the trail.
Remarkably the same song captured me yesterday, …. especially because of the message of hope at the end. We are so privileged to be the carriers of that message of hope:
“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel!”
How amazing it is that Emmanuel has come to ALL. May we be faithful messengers!