It doesn't make any sense, and it's not the way most people would think that God works...
Yet, from the inside of a prison, God has chosen a flock of men to worship and serve Him with hearts that are filled with gratitude and love. These are men who have tasted the goodness of the Lord, who've drunk from the fountain of forgiveness.
This afternoon, as we do every second and fourth Saturday of each month, we gather in the chapel with a few civilian volunteers who came to worship God with us. Today, we had Ron and Rocky as our guests; they drove here from New York City.
And in an environment where many would think there would be nothing but bitterness, anger, disappointment and depression in the lives of these prisoners, we have men who like to spend our afternoons gathered inside the chapel to sing songs of praise to our Creator.
In here, one by one, we've made our peace with God. And just as He had revealed himself to a handful of lowly shepherds while they were in their fields on a chilly fall night to watch over their flocks, God has revealed Himself to us. These surprised and shaken shepherds heard the divine proclamation from the lips of an angel of the Lord, "Do not be afraid. For I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Then the heavenly messenger added, "For unto you is born on this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11)."
And so, by the blessing that has been promised to "all" people, both Jew and Gentile, now, two thousand years later, behind the stone walls and razor-wire fences of a maximum security prison, a host of redeemed men could likewise claim this promise. Jesus was born in the flesh, and He died for us, too. Furthermore, He has risen from the grave and now sits at the right hand of God the Father with arms wide open, beckoning all sinners to come home. And many prison inmates throughout the world have made the choice to indeed come home.
D.B.
This afternoon, as we do every second and fourth Saturday of each month, we gather in the chapel with a few civilian volunteers who came to worship God with us. Today, we had Ron and Rocky as our guests; they drove here from New York City.
And in an environment where many would think there would be nothing but bitterness, anger, disappointment and depression in the lives of these prisoners, we have men who like to spend our afternoons gathered inside the chapel to sing songs of praise to our Creator.
In here, one by one, we've made our peace with God. And just as He had revealed himself to a handful of lowly shepherds while they were in their fields on a chilly fall night to watch over their flocks, God has revealed Himself to us. These surprised and shaken shepherds heard the divine proclamation from the lips of an angel of the Lord, "Do not be afraid. For I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Then the heavenly messenger added, "For unto you is born on this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11)."
And so, by the blessing that has been promised to "all" people, both Jew and Gentile, now, two thousand years later, behind the stone walls and razor-wire fences of a maximum security prison, a host of redeemed men could likewise claim this promise. Jesus was born in the flesh, and He died for us, too. Furthermore, He has risen from the grave and now sits at the right hand of God the Father with arms wide open, beckoning all sinners to come home. And many prison inmates throughout the world have made the choice to indeed come home.
D.B.
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