First of all…
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Even though it’s after midnight here, I feel like I can say that because it’s still Thursday in the States. Plus, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving today (Friday) with a game of American football, a game of pin the tail on the turkey, and lots and lots of fabulous food that people have been cooking all evening… it smells sooooooo good in our house right now.
Anyway, being that it’s Thanksgiving, I’m reminded of all the things I have to be thankful for: my family, my friends (both in the US and in England), my supporters, my health, my education… The list could go on forever. But today I was reminded of one more very important thing to be thankful for.
Jarred, Josh Edwards, and I took a class of primary school kids (probably around age 6 or 7) to visit St. James Church, one of the local churches we work with in Broughton. Henry, the vicar of St. James, talked with the kids about what sorts of things can be found in the church, what Christians do when they’re at church, what happens during Communion and Baptism, and what instruments are played during worship (I got to play the pipe organ, which was pretty much the highlight of my day!) At one point, the someone asked the kids how many of them had never been in a church before. Out of a class of 21, all but about 3 raised their hands! Eighteen kids had NEVER stepped foot in a church before today! My heart broke as I saw all those hands go up, and I almost started crying. In a country that birthed great theologians, missionaries, and defenders of the Christian faith, an entire generation is living life without hearing the Gospel. I was reminded again of why we’re here, but I was also reminded to be grateful to have been born to a Christian family who attended church every Sunday. I had the opportunity to hear the Gospel at least 936 times (and that’s only counting Sundays) between the time I was born and the time I graduated from high school. Thousands of kids all over England may very well finish school without ever hearing the Gospel.
So this Thanksgiving, I’m taking the time to be thankful for one more thing: the opportunity to hear and understand the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
