Dear
Sisters,
This
song, by Bruce Cockburn, a musician, song writer, and Christian, has been
tugging on my heart.
ARTIST:
Bruce Cockburn
TITLE:
Lovers in a Dangerous Time
Don’t
the hours grow shorter as the days go by
You
never get to stop and open your eyes
One day
you’re waiting for the sky to fall
And
next you’re dazzled by the beauty of it all
When
you’re lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers
in a dangerous time
These
fragile bodies of touch and taste
This
vibrant skin this hair like lace
Spirits
open to the thrust of grace
Never a
breath you can afford to waste
{Refrain}
When
you’re lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers
in a dangerous time
When
you’re lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers
in a dangerous time
When
you’re lovers in a dangerous time
Sometimes
you’re made to feel as if your love’s a crime
Nothing
worth having comes without some kind of fight
Got to
kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight
{Refrain}
I heard
this and thought this is me. This is us. We are lovers of Jesus in a very
dangerous time.
The
lyrics made me remember a Mennonite missionary couple in Mostar during the war
in Yugoslavia. Sarajevo had been reduced to rubble. Shelling was going on in
Mostar every day. These two young
Christians wanted to be married.
Their
friends said, Get out of there. But they refused. God had called them to Mostar. Their
ministry was there. People who needed them were there. And, God hadn’t told
them to go anywhere else.
There
friends and family said, You’re not safe. You could be killed.
The
couple found a pastor and married in Mostar, while shelling could be heard in
other sectors of the city.
Why?
People asked.
Because,
the young couple
said, Mostar is where God has called us. The place where God has called you
is the safest place on earth. For us, for now, anywhere else would be
dangerous.
When I
hear about needs in the world. About people taking great risks for the sake of
the Kingdom. About people doing what God has said regardless of the cost or
whether they really understand it or whether others “get” the vision. My heart
sings.
Recently
Steve and Diann Cook decided Steve would leave his pastoral position on the
staff of high Point Church. Steve had a vision to start a non-profit
ministry/business. He had an idea to equip “chaplains” to do the workplace
equivalent of pastoral care in Madison-area businesses.
People
have been talking about “ministry in the marketplace” and being “marketplace
Christians” for years. Steve decided to put feet to this concept and create a
way for business-owners to offer their employees – the workers God has put
under their authority and care – the kind of caring support that Jesus was
talking about when he said “love your neighbors as yourself”
It’s
called Capitol City Chaplains.
This is
a real risk. Steven and Diann have
bills to pay like everyone else. But they know God has called them to this. For
them, for now, anywhere else would be dangerous.
We are
called to be lovers of Jesus. Lovers – not just students or members of the
Jesus party. Lovers. Sweethearts. Brides.
Once,
when I heard someone preach about the five-fold ministry (the offices and
callings of preacher, teacher, prophet, apostle, evangelist) I thought, What about lover? I said that to a friend, Dave
Comello. Dave said, That’s my ministry. I want to be a lover of Jesus. And, he is. It’s more than what
he does. It’s
who he is.
We are
lovers in a
dangerous time. Just look around. Aren’t we often waiting for the sky to fall?
Then, doesn’t Jesus peek around the corner and, suddenly, we’re awed and
enthralled by the beauty of it all.
I’m
asking God to make me a lover. To give me a lover’s heart. To change my fear
and self-doubt into boldness. I want to be like that couple in Mostar who did
what God told them, dismissing the risk. I want to be like Mary of Bethany, who
just wanted to be with Jesus. Who chose the better part of intimacy. He said it
wouldn’t be taken from her.
That
young couple in Mostar chose the better part. If Jesus was in Mostar, waiting for
them, then Mostar, artillery shells included, was where they wanted to be.
I want
to write more about this one.
Calling
all Lovers. It’s a dangerous time.
Love,
Julia