FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS?

“...who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (from Esther 4:14)

The posting I read on an AOL message board last night was the latest in a string of such matters: Martin, a pastor and Presbyter (overseer of a group of churches) in the Assemblies of God in rural Kentucky posted about the emotionally gut wrenching day he’d had. Oh, lest you think Martin is a weak guy, he’s not. Martin’s been in the ministry for almost thirty years in rural locations in Kentucky. Martin’s sermons (I’ve heard them on C.D.) evidence a very mature man of God with lots of depth and lots of life experience. Guys like Martin are like the now extinct old-fashioned country doctors, except that they’re clergymen or “preachers” as they call them in Kentucky. Martin had spent the day with a totally discouraged pastor and his wife. “Crushed” is what Martin entitled the posting. These are young people. They’re completely exhausted, totally discouraged, and broken people. They resigned their church. It’s the third church in Martin’s “section” in which a discouraged pastor had recently resigned. Pastor Martin spent a good part of yesterday crying and praying with this young couple.

I’m 54 and I’ve been in full-time ministry for 27 years. I’m not sure what is going on, but it’s a challenging time. A close friend of mine from Texas has sent me a couple of despondent e-mails this week. He’s a veteran and he’s very conservative. He is so upset about the election of Obama that I’m worried about him. He pretty much feels that with the election of Obama, his life is over. In addition, I spoke to one of my oldest and dearest friends by phone a few days ago. He’s had many years of successful ministry on the West coast and now teaches at a Christian college. Our conversation was very private so I’ll call him “Tom” but it’s not his real name. Tom is grieving the loss of his brother who died over a year ago from A.L.S. (Lou Gerig’s Disease) and is facing some incredibly sad and stressful problems in his extended family. Then there’s a seasoned pastor friend from here in MetroWest who currently has a daughter that has a serious heart problem and a daughter-in-law with stage 4 cancer. That pastor and his wife also have some serious health issues. I spoke to an elderly pastor recently who has several medical problems and is struggling with depression. (The depression is not due to emotional problems, it’s chemical, but due to the guy’s medical problems, the number of medications that he can take are very limited.) Some of you know I’ve been walking through the toughest emotional trial I’ve faced since the deaths of my parents in 2000. I really wish I could write about it here, but it’s MUCH too personal even for me to write about, and it could potentially hurt a lot of people. Also, one of the tough things about being a pastor is that people can put you on a pedestal and expect you to be almost perfect and to meet their needs. I know I’ve upset and disappointed some people lately, and I’m the type that is bothered by that.

Lest everyone who reads this goes and jumps off the Sagamore Bridge (please don’t do that!), please keep reading. It’s funny, but God talks to me in the shower. I was not planning to post anything this morning- CERTAINLY not all this stuff. But I thought about the special service and special day that our little church is having on Sunday. One Sunday a year, usually in November, we have “Missions Rally Day”. We have a missionary come to speak, we have the church all decorated for Missions Rally Day; at least as well as we can decorate it, we bring in a catered dinner (the building has no kitchen) and then we have a special Faith Promise Service.

This year’s is special because of who the guests are. One of the most impressive Assemblies of God missionary families you’d ever want to meet are Neil and Kathy Vanaria and their 13-year-old son Tony. Neil is originally from MetroWest- I think Framingham. The Vanarias have spent over ten years in a very remote area of Papua New Guinea translating the New Testament into the Mesem language. That’s remarkable enough. But get this: Two years ago, Neil was in a terrible accident in Papua New Guinea. A guy was driving him (with some of his computer equipment) along a dangerous winding dirt road. The S.U.V. “wiped out”, went off the road and crashed. It’s not like having a traffic accident in Hopkinton, MA or something. Neil’s head was ripped open and he was bleeding and dying. He lay there for hours and hours. A group of locals showed up, AND ROBBED HIM AND THE VEHICLE. Miraculously, he was ultimately found by a “good Samaritan” and taken to the local hospital. (Can you imagine what the “local hospital” in Papua New Guinea is like?! Well, it’s worse than that!) Ultimately, Neil was flown to Australia and spent weeks undergoing medial care and things were “touch and go”. The Vanarias spoke at our church last December and I had Neil speak to our Men’s Group a few months ago.

It’s never been my custom to invite a missionary to speak at Missions Rally Day that I’ve just had at the church a relatively short time before. I typically either bring in a missionary we’re unfamiliar with, or one of our “regular” missionaries who has not been with us for a long time. I am not sure why, but about 6 months ago when I booked the Vanarias I was SO STRONGLY IMPRESSED OF GOD to book them for Missions Rally Day that I did. They’re “home on furlough” now, but in fact, Neil has just gone back to Papua New Guinea. I know this is Assemblies of God shop talk, but among other things, he needed to get back to the South Pacific to meet with his “field director”. When Neil contacted me a few weeks ago to say he couldn’t come, I was VERY disappointed, but I was then relieved to hear that his wife Kathy and son Tony WOULD be with us. Kathy has a number of physical challenges of her own and is frequently seen in a wheelchair, but Kathy is a very powerful and deep woman of God. (You don’t spend years ministering in a place like Papua New Guinea without having a deep walk with God.) In the shower this morning, I realized that Kathy and Tony Vanaria are just what I need and just what our church needs this Sunday.

These are not easy days for me, and these are not easy days for a lot of people. The Vanarias have walked through really hard stuff and they have something to offer. I’m looking forward to Sunday. As far as this Sunday goes, I believe God has called Kathy Vanaria to our church “for such a time as this”.

P.S. Want to see what God will do at First Assembly of God of Framingham this Sunday? Well, I dare ya to show up!