Hardware stores in Bangkok have been having a field day recently, playing on the fears of many residents to sell materials guaranteed to flood-proof one’s house. many of the purchases made were unthought-through panic buys which would have had little bearing on the flooding potential of the houses in question, but at least brought a little peace of mind to those who shelled out hundreds and thousands of baht to protect their real estate! One local estate had the obligatory wall of sandbags, but also had wrapped the entire outer wall in plastic sheeting (leaving a gap for the expensive cars to drive in and out, of course- and therefore for the water to find an entry point!). No matter that in flood areas the water was coming up into the houses through the drains, and therefore the result of the total encasement of said estate could well have been an unintentional community swimming pool! At least people thought they were ready!
One of the most disappointing and frustrating aspects of the work of The Well has been the attitude of some churches (and especially their leaders) to the people we are seeking to reach with God’s love and healing. A few times now, we have been told that the church “is not ready” to love, serve, welcome, bless and rejoice with the folks we are working with and amongst. Just last week my wife was asking a local church to partner with us in providing gifts and food for a small party for ladies working freelance on the streets. The reply was that while they could help, the church “was not ready” to host the party or embrace the ladies working on their doorstep.
Over this Christmas, we celebrate the inbreaking of King Jesus and His Kingdom into this world, a world that, by and large, was not ready. Accustomed to the silence of God for 400 years since Malachi, the arrival of the Messiah in the shape of a helpless, defenseless child was unexpected, unwelcome and unrecognized by those that were not ready or willing to have their lives turned upside down. However, there were those who were ready, those who listened and obeyed, those who were attuned to what the Father was doing- Mary, Elizabeth, Anna the prophetess, Simeon, the star-gazers and the shepherds were in the vanguard of those welcoming in the new thing that God was birthing in His Son. Later there were others who joyfully embraced the way of Jesus, the way of the Cross, the way of The Master who became the servant. The tragedy was that those who should have been ready (indeed, who thought they were ready, and thought they could ensure that others were as ready as they) who were the most unready, and who excluded themselves and others under their influence from entering the Kingdom and joining in the party. So unready were they that instead of opening the door, they shut it in peoples’ faces, bolting and chaining it up for good measure- if they couldn’t enter, they made sure that nobody else could either!
And us? Let’s get up close and personal for a moment. Are you ready? Am I? It’s too easy to throw up our hands in horror at the attitude of the church, to criticize the arrogance of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. But what about you? This Christmas, are you ready to echo those beautiful words of Mary, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.” - the very words that opened her heart, her womb, her future and her plans for God’s heart, God’s future, God’s plans to be birthed through her into a dying world? Are we ready to listen to what the Father is saying, to see what he is doing, and to do it with Him? Are we ready to say “Lord, I am ready; help me in my unreadiness”? The world is waiting, in eager expectation- for His sake, let’s do all we can to be ready! And let’s pray for our churches, for our families, our communities, that we would be ready to serve up the kingdom feast that Christ has made ready to those for whom it has been prepared.
