Mercies Along the Way
From various perspectives, life is a journey. We move from one place to another; we grow from one stage to another. Regardless of the shape, direction, or duration of our journey, we need to remember that “here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). In Christ, we all walk together “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (11:10).
As part of our journey to the eternal city, my family and I have moved many times due to my calling as a pastor and church planter. Seventeen months and one week ago, we moved again, this time from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to Grand Rapids so that I could pursue theological studies at the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (PRTS) and, Lord willing, establish a Reformed theological seminary for Central America.
As you can imagine, this move brought significant changes for us—not just a new city but a new country, climate, language, and culture. Lucas and Manuel had never been to school before. Lucas came without knowing a word of English. On his first day of school, he asked if we would come back to pick him up at some point. And Manuel faced some challenges adjusting to some aspects of the culture at school. These situations gave us new opportunities for conversations under the light of God’s Word that we had not had before with them.
Amid these changes and challenges, we rejoiced in one of the prayers God answered when we arrived: finding a church that we would love and where we would feel loved. Christ Church, you have been a blessing to us; you have been our family. Ely’s closest friends in Grand Rapids are from church, and the number continues to grow. Manuel enjoys spending time with the other teenagers and getting involved in church activities. Lucas looks forward to his Sunday class and playing with his friends in the church playground. We’ve loved visiting several of your homes and having some of you visiting our apartment. We’ve shared prayer requests and prayed for each other, and we’ve been welcomed and tried to welcome others as well. We’ve laughed and cried together in several situations. Home is where family is. And you have made us feel at home.
So many mercies in this journey, and even unexpectedly mild Michigan winters! Yet perhaps the greatest blessing has been seeing how God weaves our individual journeys into His larger story.
In this season of Advent, let us pause and reflect on the journey of our Lord Jesus. This Sunday, let us worship together the triune God as we meditate on the baptism of the Son (Mark 1:9-11), to whom the Father said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” What a comfort to know that we follow the One who, through His obedient life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection, perfectly pleased the Father on our behalf.
Rejoice!