December 25, 2013
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Forrest Gump said, “I’m not a smart man, but I know what love is.” Do you think those who visited Jesus on the night of His birth knew Love? Do you think that they had within them a bright light of penetrating beauty and meaning? Did they gain it when they saw Baby Emmanuel on that silent night? Do you have it now? Chasing life day-to-day it’s easy to lose sight of His love. Everyone once in a while, less often than more, I do get a glimpse of God’s love, grace, or even a nudge of His Grace, saying: “Go that way.”
I had one of those nudges about three weeks ago right after the Union Church Children’s Christmas Pageant. The show was entitled “MTR to Bethlehem.” (As in the subway system or tube, for those unfamiliar with Hong Kong’s public transportation.) Following the show we learned that the church had mugs made… gorgeous mugs. The wonderful artwork was donated by a church member, Gavin Coates. The triplets crowded around the mug table, took one look at them, and of course wanted to give everyone a mug. I naturally said, “Oh no, that’s okay.”
That’s when I felt The Nudge. “Go that way… buy them… a lot of them.” I asked some questions and within a few moments I’d bought 56 mugs without approval from the Chairman of the Board (read Tess.)
I know that some of you might think I lead some sort of life of piety but I don’t. In fact I am very, very far from it. (Tess is the Super Mom, [it’s true, she’s even on the front of a magazine] I’m not the Super Dad.) Pushing aside the times I lose my temper with my kids, let’s just focus on Exhibit A: over the next few days I tried to think of how I might discretely back out of buying the mugs. Then I received The Church Email asking me when I would pick them up, and in fact if I wanted more! Once again I thought, “What am I going to do with so many mugs?” For a second time, I felt The Nudge… “Don’t worry about who will receive the mugs.” I married Haggai 2:8 and the mugs together in my mind’s eye, “‘The mugs are mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” I called the church and arranged to pick them up that night.
That night there was traffic from purgatory. Two accidents on the way into the city from my office that snarled everything. What a nightmare. Those few days in Hong Kong the weather had been VERY cold and lots of people were driving. I pushed on while accumulating points on Waze. Eventually I reached Union Church, took possession of the mugs and God went to work placing people in my path.
First, as I was exiting the church a gentleman, out of nowhere, walked into the church to inquire about services. Normally on Wednesday nights the young adults hold a service called Oasis but they were elsewhere holding a Christmas Party. After some other individuals talked to him I said hello. I thanked him for visiting the church, said, “I have a gift for you” and presented him with a mug. I explained the background to the mug. He was quite surprised at this gesture.
Second, around the same time I bumped into an acquaintance. I don’t know this individual that well but I’d been concerned about him because six months ago he became a serious risk to himself. His road to recovery has been positive, but long. Amazingly, for the first time in six months, he was in front of me along with a care worker and another friend. I stopped to speak with my friend, deeply penetrating into his eyes with as much care, concern and love as I could find within. After a few minutes of conversation I said to him, “I have a gift for you” and presented him, his friend and care worker each with a mug also explaining the background to the cup. The three of them were even more surprised by this gesture, but especially the care worker who could not believe he had just been given a Union Church mug.
By this time I really needed to get home. I hopped into the car and raced along Caine Road. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a familiar face standing almost frozen at the side of the road. I hit the brakes, expecting a rock concert of taxi horns behind me. Fortunately the cars behind granted grace, and the familiar face very willingly clambered into the warm car. I quickly learned that she’d been shopping in Central and the lack of taxis, snarled traffic, led her all the way up to Caine Road in the cold weather with bags and bags of shopping. We drove to Pokfulam and had a nice catch-up. As we parted ways reaching her destination I said to her… “I have a gift for you.”
By now it was abundantly clear to me that God had a plan for these mugs. I heard the angels singing. I felt that bright light of penetrating beauty and meaning. I was inside a “pass through philosophy” where I was merely a mug conduit. Had I thought more about it, I would have said, “God has a gift for you.” I’m a little ashamed I figured that out after the fact. Regardless, the kids have passed the mugs on to many friends and teachers. For their teachers (and some of my co-workers) we wrote on the side of the box, “Please take me home” to ensure the school pantries and my office didn’t get loaded up with church mugs. I’m not a terribly smart person when reading people’s reactions, but I know appreciation when I see it… God’s mugs have been met with more joy than I expected. How ironic, that's usually how people react to God's love, too.
It’s now deep into Christmas Eve here in Hong Kong… well past 3 AM to be exact but I really wanted to crank out this story for Christmas. Tonight the family went to the 5 PM Family Service which was extraordinary. The entire church team was in their element. Their mug supply has been further depleted by Yours Truly. Pastor Greg delivered a powerful and emotional sermon on par with December 2007. After an evening of fun at home with three other families, I headed back to the 11 PM Candlelight Service. Afterwards I hunted down more people to be recipients of God’s mugs.
The last few weeks Pastor Greg has resurrected a passage from Howard Thurman that I love… “There must be always remaining in every man's life some place for the singing of angels — some place for that which in itself is breathlessly beautiful and by an inherent prerogative, throwing all the rest of life into a new and creative relatedness — something that gathers up in itself all the freshest of experience from drab and commonplace areas of living and glows in one bright light of penetrating beauty and meaning — then passes. The commonplace is shot through with new glory — old burdens become lighter, deep and ancient wounds lose much of their old, old hurting. A crown is placed over our heads that for the rest of our lives we are trying to grow tall enough to wear. Despite all the crassness of life, despite all the hardness of life, despite all of the harsh discords of life, life is saved by the singing of angels."
My prayer for each of you during this Christmas is that you experience penetrating beauty and meaning. And if you would like one of God’s mugs let me know – I’ll do my best to get one to you, while supplies last.
PS: Sela has a massive surprise for the world (starting as a Christmas present for Tess) so watch this space for an update in the next few days.
