Just like any other day, I was walking to class when I noticed that there was a large group of people standing outside the school. It was obvious that something was wrong but I couldn´t tell quite what was going on. I finally got closer to the school and looked inside to see two dead bodies. One was a man and the other was his child. That was the first time I had seen a dead body but unfortunately it would not be the last.
Just like any other day, I was with my family walking back to our house. All of a sudden, we heard what sounded like fireworks going off. Here in Perú it is common to have festivals where fireworks go off and so I thought there was a party going on. I asked my dad if we could go but he acted kind of strangely and made us hurry to the house and stay there for the night. In the morning, I went with my sister to go find where the party was and see if there was any candy on the ground from throwing it out the night before. We went to the center because it sounded like it was coming from that direction and that was a common place for celebrations to happen. When we got there we saw an image that will forever be ingrained in my mind. There were what seemed to be dozens of dead bodies strewn around everywhere. Many of the bodies were so bloody and torn apart that you could barely even tell that they were human bodies. We also smelt what I later learned was acid that the terrorists had used as a weapon but also to clean some of the blood and bodies from the streets.
Just like any other day, I went to get a hair cut at my friends salon in the center. I was sitting with my head in the dryer when all of the sudden there was a loud explosion and much of the building caved in. The salon was across from a police station that had been destroyed with a car bomb. We were all wandering around the salon trying to find each other which was hard through the haze and our ears were still ringing from the explosion. Then, four armed military personnel came running in and asked us who we were and what we were doing there. It should have seemed pretty obvious from the state of my hair but I calmly answered their questions because I knew that one wrong answer could lead to my death. They brought us all to a dark cold room and kept us there for almost 3 days. Meanwhile my family was at home thinking the worse. After I didn´t show up that night they were worried but when I didn´t show up for two more days they thought for sure that I was dead. I was fortunate that day that the soldiers did let me go. Many in my same circumstance were not so lucky.
Sorry if I scared any of you but these stories are obviously not stories that happened to me. They are, however, true stories that I have heard from friends and other people here in Ayacucho. Beginning in 1980 there was a communist party called Sendero Luminoso or "Shining Path" that failed to get recognition or into positions of power and so they resorted to terrorism. The government then sent troops to the area of Ayacucho to fight against the terrorists but they often resorted to blindly killing people in an effort to wipe out all the terrorists. One person was even quoted as saying "about 1 in 100 people we imprison or execute are most likely linked to Sendero Luminoso". Between the years 1980-2000 there were a reported 69,280 people dead or missing, of those, about 50% was attributed to Sendero Luminoso, 35% to the armed forces and the remaining deaths from smaller guerrilla groups, local militia and people fighting back against Sendero Luminoso or the Military.
I could not even begin to imagine what these people went through. I have pulled out two well known verses to show both what a response from the people may have been and one of the hardest verses to read with events like this in mind.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
“He trusts in the Lord;
let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother’s breast.
From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
But you, O Lord, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the Lord will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.
(Psalm 22)
“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.(Luke 6: 27-36)
Peace,
Brandon
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
¿Cómo fue el sermón?
Many of you have been asking how my sermon went so I figured I´d do an entry on it. The church has been following the lectionary which means the last four weeks have been the last part of Luke 9 and then entire chapter of Luke 10. For Sunday night, I preached on the story of Martha and Mary. I began with a quick run through of what each was doing and what were the implications. Martha,like many women in her time, felt it was her responsibility to feed her guest and make him feel like home. She was not doing anything out of the ordinary and actually seemed to be doing what Jesus described as a necesary measure when guests visit when he sent out the 72. Mary, in contrast, chose to rebel against the norm and not only did she not get to work, she even went as far as sitting at Christ´s feet which was a place reserved for the disciples alone. She was also listining to Christ´s teaching which was thought to only be for men. I then asked the retorical question of who was right. If you notice Jesus never says Martha was wrong, just that Mary chose the better. We are actually called to be Mary and Martha in one. We are called to do works all while realizing that there is only one thing that is actually necesary and that is to be with and to listen to Christ. In Luke, we have Christ telling us to go out and share his word and also to be hospitable when he sent out the 72, then he tells us to love our neighbor as our self and explains who are neighbor is in the story of the good Semaritan, but then Jesus tells us not to worry about all the work that the only thing important is to be with him. This is why it´s important to look at it in full context, Jesus is not saying "don´t do works" but rather do works all while knowing that he always comes first.
I then hesitated for a while to do this but felt an obligation to do so... I then told the church that I hope that they can learn to become Mary and Martha because unfortunately during my time I had seen neither, but rather I had heard many exuses such as " I don´t have enough money", "I have to work", or even "I need to do my laundry". In combat to these excuses I read Luke 9: 57-62 which reads:
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family."Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
This was the lesson 3 weeks ago so they were already familiar with it. I said how Jesus wouldn´t even accept a logical excuse for waiting such as let me bury my father or say goodbye to my family. If Jesus didn´t accept these excuses then he certaintly wouldn´t have accepted "let me do my laundry". We´re not called to wait, we´re called to action, to be Martha who did many things, but with the mindset of Mary who first sat at Jesus´ feet in order to learn from him.
That´s my sermon in a nutshell. The ideas were there but I didn´t feel like I got them across al eliquently as I could have. It was in part because I had little time for preperation and also the fact that it was in Spanish, but I´m not going to use those as excuses, I hope and pray that my sermon still was able to reach atleast one person in the small congregation of 12 people.
Paz,
Brandon
I then hesitated for a while to do this but felt an obligation to do so... I then told the church that I hope that they can learn to become Mary and Martha because unfortunately during my time I had seen neither, but rather I had heard many exuses such as " I don´t have enough money", "I have to work", or even "I need to do my laundry". In combat to these excuses I read Luke 9: 57-62 which reads:
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family."Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
This was the lesson 3 weeks ago so they were already familiar with it. I said how Jesus wouldn´t even accept a logical excuse for waiting such as let me bury my father or say goodbye to my family. If Jesus didn´t accept these excuses then he certaintly wouldn´t have accepted "let me do my laundry". We´re not called to wait, we´re called to action, to be Martha who did many things, but with the mindset of Mary who first sat at Jesus´ feet in order to learn from him.
That´s my sermon in a nutshell. The ideas were there but I didn´t feel like I got them across al eliquently as I could have. It was in part because I had little time for preperation and also the fact that it was in Spanish, but I´m not going to use those as excuses, I hope and pray that my sermon still was able to reach atleast one person in the small congregation of 12 people.
Paz,
Brandon
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Maybe I should have said no
Yesterday I had the bible study and this time one lady was there at te beginning of the meeting and another member walked in 30 minutes late. Before everyone got there I was talking to the pastor about some things in the church and the lack of faith and hope that I had seen. We continued talking and then he asked me if I wanted to preach today. Without hesitation I said yes (I haven´t preached in over 2 months now so I really wanted to) but then I realized that I usually have atleast a week to prepare my sermons along with a Library full of commentaries...oh yeah, and they whole Spanish thing. I didn´t wake up until 9:00 this morning and I have a meeting at 12:00 which means I now have about an hour to write a sermon in Spanish. Needless to say, I´m going to need alot of prayers tonight around 7:00.
This is my text for tonight:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)
Peace,
Brandon
This is my text for tonight:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)
Peace,
Brandon
Friday, July 16, 2010
Feast of the Virgin
Today I´m not going to be writing about a touching event or something that provoked deep though but rather just something that I got to be a part of last night. Yesterday I went to the market, as I often do, with Lorna and on the way back we took a collectivo which means we took a cab with 6 other people (yes there were 8 of us in one cab) and as we passed one of the churches we noticed that they were building some kind of structure outside. We asked the others in the cab what it was for and they said that yesterday was the feast of the virgin recognizing the death of Mary. We got back to the house and decided to go see what the festival was all about. We got there about 8:30 and there were a lot of people there as well as a couple of live bands and then those large wooden structures. We got a good spot and as we did a lady walked up and offered us a drink. The drink was some kind of spiced hot chocolate and it was really good. The next part was one of the more interesting parts of the event.
All of a sudden we heard a firework go off and look to see a guy holding a paper and wood bull with sparks flying from it and an occasional firework shot from it. He then proceeded to run through the crowd as everyone ran away or huddled to avoid the sparks. They did this about 5 times and I guess it was there version of running with the bulls. After the last bull was done the music an dancing started and went on for about 20 minutes. Next, we figured out what the structures were, they were big towers with fireworks and they were pretty fun to watch. They structures had different parts and each one would go off separately like spinning wheels, globes, and boxes of sparks and the final was a part on the top that shot into the air spinning and shooting sparks and then when it peaked it blew up into a firework.
I just thought I´d share this experience with the rest of you and I´ll try to get on later today or tomorrow to update my blog on a more serious note, there are a couple of things I´ve been meaning to write about but just haven´t quite found the time.
Peace,
Brandon
All of a sudden we heard a firework go off and look to see a guy holding a paper and wood bull with sparks flying from it and an occasional firework shot from it. He then proceeded to run through the crowd as everyone ran away or huddled to avoid the sparks. They did this about 5 times and I guess it was there version of running with the bulls. After the last bull was done the music an dancing started and went on for about 20 minutes. Next, we figured out what the structures were, they were big towers with fireworks and they were pretty fun to watch. They structures had different parts and each one would go off separately like spinning wheels, globes, and boxes of sparks and the final was a part on the top that shot into the air spinning and shooting sparks and then when it peaked it blew up into a firework.
I just thought I´d share this experience with the rest of you and I´ll try to get on later today or tomorrow to update my blog on a more serious note, there are a couple of things I´ve been meaning to write about but just haven´t quite found the time.
Peace,
Brandon
Monday, July 12, 2010
Accountability
Last Sunday I was asked to lead a bible study for this Saturday and I quickly accepted the opportunity. I spent the week finding verses on what it means to be a church and what it means to be a Christian and I planned to use the verses to guide a discussion with the members. The bible study started at 6:00 so I made sure to get the a little early and arrived at 5:50. Unfortunately no one was there yet so I waited...and waited...and waited. At 6:15 a lady in the house next door came out and she invited me in so that I could knock on the Pastor´s door...he wasn´t there. I then waited until 6:31 because the bible study was supposed to last til 7:00 so I figured I would wait until one minute past the half way point.
Different emotions ran through my head: anger, sadness, confusion, discouragement, disappointment, as well as others. I went to the service yesterday and, as usual, everyone showed up late. The pastor, a girl who is from Cuzco, and I started promptly at 6:30 and then another lady came in around 6:35, another man at 6:45 and then finally the president of the church strolled in a little after 7:00. It also so happened that she was given the sermon last night and she spoke on the good Samaritan.
After the service, I approached her and asked her what happened Saturday night. She said that she got caught at work until 9:00 and was not able to make it. I know for a fact that she works for a shop and there are rarely any shops that stay open past sundown which is about 6:00 here. I asked her if there was any way she either could have known that beforehand, taken off for a minute to run tell me she couldn´t make it, or have found someone to cover for her since she knew there was bible study and it was in fact her idea. I don´t remember exactly what she said, but basically just made up excuses, apologised, and said it would never happen again.
I then asked her why she was late tonight, and if everything was ok. She then continued to tell a story about how her week was busy and her house was a disaster and so she had to get it in order. She didn´t work yesterday so I´m not so sure that she was getting her house in order until 7:00 and that she couldn´t stop working to make it to church on time. I then asked her if she got her house in order every Sunday about that time because she has been late every single Sunday that I´ve been here. I also brought to her attention that she is the president and representative of the church and since she wants new members to come, what would they think if the president shows up half way through service. She then continued to make excuses and saying that she´s trying to change but frankly I didn´t believe her. I hope that she was genuine in what she said but I´d have to see it to believe it. If I show up again on Saturday and no one shows up I´m so sure I´ll be there the following week or try to find a church in the US to sponsor them.
It may seem like I´m being harsh, and that I shouldn´t judge her. I used to think that way and used this to justify my thinking:
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.(Matthew 7:1-5)
I then realized that I was not passing judgement on her, I never said she was a bad person but rather there are somethings in which she should change her ways. She has done the same thing every week without even an apology or shown a shred of regret, I am honestly not sure she saw anything wrong with what she was doing. I would hope that if I was doing something wrong without remorse that someone would approach me and let me know that I should change. Again, I searched in the bible to see what it says and I ran across this:
"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.(Matthew 18:15-18)
You see, it is true that we shouldn´t judge a person, but we are called to be accountable to one another and say when someone has stepped out of line and sinned. Also notice that it says to first approach them in private. I was tempted to stand up in front of everyone and confront her but I realized that she would have been even more offended and defensive, I also then found this verse in which Jesus us tells us flat out to approach them individually first, then bring others, and finally, as a last effort, tell it to the church. I approached her in private, but then noticed the pastor went up to her after to tell her the same thing. I hope and pray that she makes an afford to change but frankly she is a representative of the church as a whole. They all seem to not care what´s going on and fail to make actions towards change.
Peace,
Brandon
Different emotions ran through my head: anger, sadness, confusion, discouragement, disappointment, as well as others. I went to the service yesterday and, as usual, everyone showed up late. The pastor, a girl who is from Cuzco, and I started promptly at 6:30 and then another lady came in around 6:35, another man at 6:45 and then finally the president of the church strolled in a little after 7:00. It also so happened that she was given the sermon last night and she spoke on the good Samaritan.
After the service, I approached her and asked her what happened Saturday night. She said that she got caught at work until 9:00 and was not able to make it. I know for a fact that she works for a shop and there are rarely any shops that stay open past sundown which is about 6:00 here. I asked her if there was any way she either could have known that beforehand, taken off for a minute to run tell me she couldn´t make it, or have found someone to cover for her since she knew there was bible study and it was in fact her idea. I don´t remember exactly what she said, but basically just made up excuses, apologised, and said it would never happen again.
I then asked her why she was late tonight, and if everything was ok. She then continued to tell a story about how her week was busy and her house was a disaster and so she had to get it in order. She didn´t work yesterday so I´m not so sure that she was getting her house in order until 7:00 and that she couldn´t stop working to make it to church on time. I then asked her if she got her house in order every Sunday about that time because she has been late every single Sunday that I´ve been here. I also brought to her attention that she is the president and representative of the church and since she wants new members to come, what would they think if the president shows up half way through service. She then continued to make excuses and saying that she´s trying to change but frankly I didn´t believe her. I hope that she was genuine in what she said but I´d have to see it to believe it. If I show up again on Saturday and no one shows up I´m so sure I´ll be there the following week or try to find a church in the US to sponsor them.
It may seem like I´m being harsh, and that I shouldn´t judge her. I used to think that way and used this to justify my thinking:
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.(Matthew 7:1-5)
I then realized that I was not passing judgement on her, I never said she was a bad person but rather there are somethings in which she should change her ways. She has done the same thing every week without even an apology or shown a shred of regret, I am honestly not sure she saw anything wrong with what she was doing. I would hope that if I was doing something wrong without remorse that someone would approach me and let me know that I should change. Again, I searched in the bible to see what it says and I ran across this:
"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.(Matthew 18:15-18)
You see, it is true that we shouldn´t judge a person, but we are called to be accountable to one another and say when someone has stepped out of line and sinned. Also notice that it says to first approach them in private. I was tempted to stand up in front of everyone and confront her but I realized that she would have been even more offended and defensive, I also then found this verse in which Jesus us tells us flat out to approach them individually first, then bring others, and finally, as a last effort, tell it to the church. I approached her in private, but then noticed the pastor went up to her after to tell her the same thing. I hope and pray that she makes an afford to change but frankly she is a representative of the church as a whole. They all seem to not care what´s going on and fail to make actions towards change.
Peace,
Brandon
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Which of these did the work of the father
Yesterday, two of the ladies from the church came to visit the orphanage. When we knocked on the door we were met by Gil, the father of the house, and at first he was very defensive and did not want them to come in because he though they were going to attempt to evangelize the kids, all of whom are Catholic. After I calmed him down and convinced him they were simply there to see the house and then maybe figure out a way to help them out, he let them in and told them a little bit about the house.
He explained that the house consisted of what most would consider "the rejects" most of the kids had been turned away by other orphanages (unfortunately many of which were run by the Catholic Church) because the kids had disabilities or were ill-mannered. He explained that it was one of the main reasons he has stopped going to mass on Sunday mornings. He said that what he follows is the way Jesus lived. Jesus visited with prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, and the like. This is why Gil has adopted a policy of not turning any child away for any reason except that there is no longer any space for more children (which he is trying to fix by opening up another 30 child orphanage down the road from the current one but there is not enough money to even start the building). He said that many people in the church claim that they are Christians yet they fail to do the work of Christ . There are drug dealers and prostitutes in Ayacucho that have turned to such professions because they make more money and so they are able to use the earnings to help out their family and friends that are in need. (I´m not approving of either, but bringing up something that may not be known).
Gil is a prime example of a person who has turned away from "the church" because they have become hypocritical. They preach about helping those in need on Sunday mornings and then on Monday mornings they wake up to ignore the problems of the world and live their own lives. Being a Christian, for some, just means that you go to church on Sunday. Gil, and many like him, have decided they would rather live their life like Christ did, and stay away from "church people". He unfortunately is missing much of what it means to be a Christian such as corporate prayer and worship, music, accountability, and the like but what he has done that many haven´t is lived out the Gospel . He literally sold everything he owned and moved to a third world country to start an orphanage. I´m not saying that everyone needs to do the same, but what would it look like of people actually start living the Gospel rather than simply worshiping it.
Many of my blogs have become mini sermons and so I am going to try and share some verses that go along with my blog entries.
Matthew 21:28-32
"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'" 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went."Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go."Which of the two did what his father wanted?"
"The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
James 2:14-26
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
He explained that the house consisted of what most would consider "the rejects" most of the kids had been turned away by other orphanages (unfortunately many of which were run by the Catholic Church) because the kids had disabilities or were ill-mannered. He explained that it was one of the main reasons he has stopped going to mass on Sunday mornings. He said that what he follows is the way Jesus lived. Jesus visited with prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, and the like. This is why Gil has adopted a policy of not turning any child away for any reason except that there is no longer any space for more children (which he is trying to fix by opening up another 30 child orphanage down the road from the current one but there is not enough money to even start the building). He said that many people in the church claim that they are Christians yet they fail to do the work of Christ . There are drug dealers and prostitutes in Ayacucho that have turned to such professions because they make more money and so they are able to use the earnings to help out their family and friends that are in need. (I´m not approving of either, but bringing up something that may not be known).
Gil is a prime example of a person who has turned away from "the church" because they have become hypocritical. They preach about helping those in need on Sunday mornings and then on Monday mornings they wake up to ignore the problems of the world and live their own lives. Being a Christian, for some, just means that you go to church on Sunday. Gil, and many like him, have decided they would rather live their life like Christ did, and stay away from "church people". He unfortunately is missing much of what it means to be a Christian such as corporate prayer and worship, music, accountability, and the like but what he has done that many haven´t is lived out the Gospel . He literally sold everything he owned and moved to a third world country to start an orphanage. I´m not saying that everyone needs to do the same, but what would it look like of people actually start living the Gospel rather than simply worshiping it.
Many of my blogs have become mini sermons and so I am going to try and share some verses that go along with my blog entries.
Matthew 21:28-32
"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'" 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went."Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go."Which of the two did what his father wanted?"
"The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
James 2:14-26
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Family Visit Day
As I´ve mentioned before, some of the children still have their parents but their parents brought them to the house for various reasons, mainly because they couldn´t afford to take care of them.
Yesterday many of the parents came to visit their kids. I have often seen parents come but usually only one or two sets of parent. Yesterday, however, five of the children´s parents came to visit. They spent time just sitting with the kids while the rest of us took care of the other kids in the house. It was rather a strange experience seeing the families of these kids come in see them after some of them haven´t visited in as long as a few months and then just leaving and going back to their life while the kids are still in the orphanage.
I´ve never been one to pass judgement but this has been something that I really go back and forth on. In many of my previous posts I have made stands, asked questions, and proposed challenges but, in this case, I´m just simply sharing my experience. There are many things that run through my head when I see these parents. Most people´s first response would be how can you leave your children here. Another response that comes to my mind is how hard it must have been for them to realize that they couldn´t care for their own children and then to know that the children could have a better life in the orphanage. This brings up another question of what is a "better" life, to live with your family or to have plenty of food, education, and medication if need be. All these things and more run through my head when I think about the children and their families. I have no idea what I would do in their position because I have no idea what it´s like for them and what they´ve been through. Instead, I am simply a volunteer at the house. I will be in the children´s lives for about another month and then I too will be leaving them and don´t know when, if ever, I will return.
Peace,
Brandon
Yesterday many of the parents came to visit their kids. I have often seen parents come but usually only one or two sets of parent. Yesterday, however, five of the children´s parents came to visit. They spent time just sitting with the kids while the rest of us took care of the other kids in the house. It was rather a strange experience seeing the families of these kids come in see them after some of them haven´t visited in as long as a few months and then just leaving and going back to their life while the kids are still in the orphanage.
I´ve never been one to pass judgement but this has been something that I really go back and forth on. In many of my previous posts I have made stands, asked questions, and proposed challenges but, in this case, I´m just simply sharing my experience. There are many things that run through my head when I see these parents. Most people´s first response would be how can you leave your children here. Another response that comes to my mind is how hard it must have been for them to realize that they couldn´t care for their own children and then to know that the children could have a better life in the orphanage. This brings up another question of what is a "better" life, to live with your family or to have plenty of food, education, and medication if need be. All these things and more run through my head when I think about the children and their families. I have no idea what I would do in their position because I have no idea what it´s like for them and what they´ve been through. Instead, I am simply a volunteer at the house. I will be in the children´s lives for about another month and then I too will be leaving them and don´t know when, if ever, I will return.
Peace,
Brandon
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