With a houseful, Hilary and I have to schedule some ‘down time’. So each week in the summer we take a bike ride ending up in a favorite coffee shop. Last week as part of our ritual while munching a shared chocolate pistachio Danish we picked up the ‘real’ news paper to browse. Our hearts sank as we read the lead local story:
Nebraska crash kills Minneapolis family of five. Missionaries in training, they were rear-ended by a semi in construction zone.
Jamison and Kathryne Pals and their children, left to right: Ezra, Violet and Calvin. The vice president of a local nonprofit called the couple, “the most selfless people you would ever want to meet.”
Subsequently we discovered the couple were good friends of a number of our good friends.
As I pondered this event, Father began making some connections in my mind and imagination.
The image of the semi ramming the license plate of this families car as they were instantly ‘snatched away’ out of this life pointed me back to last weeks blog called “Learning Sign Language” (Before reading on you might want to review it.)
I had seen in our new license plate a message of how we are being prepared in this life to ‘cross over’. 1 Thess.4:17. talks about the ‘snatching away’ (Gk. harpazo) that we believe is immanent. Personally I do not believe this means ‘Christians’ will be ‘raptured’ out of a perishing world but rather a prepared company of believers dead and alive will be “raised” or “changed” in order to “rule and reign with Christ” in a Sabbath Millennium restoring the earth. (However the main message of this post holds true no matter what your end times eschatology)
My friend Eugene from Ireland responded to that blog with a question “Might there be something in the VXL to do with Roman numerals?”
I realized V is the number for 5. Then Father began piecing it together:
Although from an earthly perspective this crash was a tragedy, from a heavenly perspective I believe it contained a message of grace (the biblical meaning of 5). These 5 in preparation for crossing over (an earthly ocean) had sold their worldly possessions in order to engage with Joy (Their blog: For the Joy of Japan) on the other side. “The most selfless people you would ever want to meet” were 5 who had chosen “the more excellent way” (VXL) – the way of self donating love.
At our fellowship meeting last Friday I was lead to John 15 where Jesus at the end of a season of preparation says to his disciples:
“I no longer call you my servants…..I have called you my friends.”
It was then that it dawned on me this family was called “Pals”..as in buddies!
The final piece of this revelation came when a friend said to me “They were both 29.…the biblical number for departure.”
Their time had come to depart – this life, as “Jesus’ friends”
This morning I read another headline about another family of 5:
“Pennsylvania family of five dead in ‘murder-suicide”
This family was called Short.
Were their lives not cut tragically Short?’…… Is this one not a totally hopeless story?
I believe not.
In order to make sense of “This Life” book (whose ‘author and finisher’ is Jesus) we need to understand 3 things:
Firstly we need to know “The Whole Story” I believe that sadly most of us who profess to be Christians know little beyond our own ‘personal salvation’ story. But consider these two questions:
1. What does it mean that, “From Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” ? (Romans 11:36)
2. Does the “all” include the Short family?
At the end of The Story we read, “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them singing: ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power. for ever and ever.”‘ (Rev.5:13)
Secondly we need to know “The Timeline” I think it cannot be said of most of us as it was said of the Thessalonians, “Now, brothers about times and dates, we do not need to write to you.” (1 Thess.5:1). I know for most of my life I had a pathetic understanding of God’s “Secrets of Time” and of how God’s word has been and continues to be fulfilled in current events with absolute precision. Have we in assuming death the final deadline compromised the sovereignty of God to do all that He has said He will do?
“For as truly as I live all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.”(Numbers 14:21)
Thirdly to make sense of “This Life” book we need to learn “The Language” of a living God who is constantly speaking to each of us sovereignly, simply and specifically.
As we allow our Father to expand our understanding of these 3 things we discover a “God of hope” who can “fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rm.14:13)…..Hope both for the Pals family and ultimately for the Short family, because I believe, that although one of them was ‘short’ of hope in this life our Father never ‘shorts’ anyone….for it was Jesus closest friend of all who said,
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2)
P.S. This morning I noticed a 913 sticker on a bag in our bedroom. As I finished the blog I noticed the word count was also 913. I turned to Psalm 91:3, “Surely He will save you from the fowlers snare and from the deadly pestilence.“ I believe I received this message because I am being taught “The Language” so I can grasp “The Whole Story” and understanding “The Timeline” have hope for all.
“Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet . The last enemy to be destroyed is death…..When he has done this then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Cor.15.24-29)