Saturday Post -- 19/11/11

Yet another holiday weekend is being enjoyed in the Cunningham household, particularly after a busy few days. Visits to, among other destinations, the river, Wimbledon, Augusta National and a Soviet military silo (not all of them via the Wii!) made for some good times. Amanda especially was run off her feet at times this week in her audiology work and enjoyed the hectic nature of her working week. In the photograph, above, are two of Amanda's nursing colleagues, América (left) and Kleider (right), with caretaker Maribel in the centre. The three were among the latest recipients of Bibles from our recent supply. Every morning at the Foundation we have a time of meditation upon a particular passage of Scripture, but not all staff members even own a Bible. So our prayer is that they'll get good use out of them and that they'll be read as much in leisure time as in work time.

As for me, I've been gamefully engaged in church duties. This weekend, the youth group are away on their annual camp, which is run by another church, which on one hand deprives me of two key band members, but on the other hand means no rehearsals and allows me a chance to get things together for the next few weeks and, most of all, Christmas. December at church last year was particularly hard-going for this fuzzy traditionalist. The only tangible nod to the season was an afternoon Christmas Eve service. As the church's sole band member, I had no idea if Spanish Christmas carols even existed and, even then, they are not sung widely here at all. If it weren't for my 'Carols at King's' album, I'm not quite sure how I would have survived.

I was determined not to let that happen this year, so I took to iTunes and found some good traditional and contemporary tracks, one of which has a heavily evangelistic edge, which could serve us well on Christmas Eve, when usually a lot of family members come out. Hopefully we can start singing these over the next few weeks, so that something of a crescendo is reached on Christmas Eve, as opposed to Bolivians looking around at each other in search of a melody.

My other church work this week has been preparing a sermon for tomorrow's service, and it has been a passage of solace to us as yet more hurdles have arisen concerning our land transfer. I won't go into details but we are beginning to wonder if this whole exhausting process will ever end!

My allotted section was the second half of John chapter 13, a passage in which, at first glance, the odds appear to be heavily weighted against Jesus. As Good Friday approaches, one of his disciples is on the verge of effectively handing him over to the authorities, while the rest of them aren't much use themselves, with self-appointed hard-man Peter making big promises that won't be kept. Things appear to be very much beyond Christ's control. And yet taking a closer look this week brought home to me a new truth: that the disciples' misdemeanours are not only prophesied by Jesus, but they are in many cases commanded. Indeed, Judas himself is commanded by Jesus to 'do what he must' both at the Passover feast and at the moment of betrayal.

It has all brought home a renewed sense of God's sovereignty. If the son of God was imbued with such authority on what was clearly the most difficult 24 hours of his time on earth, how much more is he able to do 'more than we ask or imagine' from his seat at the right hand of the Father! God has a soul-stirring purpose for every believer, and nothing can stop its accomplishment.

Prayer

• For Craig as he preaches tomorrow at church.
• For those at work and in the church who have recently received Bibles, that those who know God would grow closer to him, and that those who don't would find him.

Praise

• For a productive week at work.
• For a renewed sense of the Lord's hand at work in the difficult times, and for his speaking to me before I have the opportunity to share with the congregation.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda