Ascension: Not Just Another Holiday!

Dear Friends,

This Sunday, the sermon title will be “Ascension: Not Just Another Holiday!” Using Scripture verses from Psalm 121:5-8 and Acts 1:1-11, we’ll be discussing God’s Providence and what it means for us in the here and now.

The word “Providence” isn’t self-explanatory—it sounds a little technical, and maybe even be a bit too ponderous to draw our attention. So the best way to answer the question is to start with real-life examples of it:

• An elderly man in his car is stopped at a stoplight. When the light turns green he looks both ways, sees nothing, and then accelerates into the intersection. But a few feet forward, the brakes of his car engage, startling him, and brings his car to an abrupt halt. A trained mechanic, he knows he hadn’t slammed on the brakes and that the car was in mint condition. Out of the blue, a truck, having run the red light, flies by just a few feet from him. Had he moved forward a few inches more, instant death would have greeted him.
• A woman praying for some unusual necessities for her orphanage receives a box in the mail that afternoon with exactly the two items she requested. The box was mailed months before she even knew of the need.
• The entire choir of a church fails to show up on time for choir practice at 7:30 p.m., each person giving a separate reason as to why they couldn’t get there. At 7:27 p.m., three minutes before the first person usually arrived, a gas explosion completely destroys the church.
• A baby is switched at birth in the hospital and given to the wrong family with the same name. Only by means of several extraordinary “coincidences” is the mistake discovered and both babies are eventually returned to their rightful families.

These are all generic (but true) stories of how Providence works. It’s not simply about dramatic rescues from death, but about jobs provided, food and shelter in times of need, healing of illnesses, coincidental encounters of other people leading to life changes, protection of children, meeting the right mate, guidance out of bad situations or into better ones, the outcome of great land or sea battles, and much more.

As expats living in Munich, we may be more blessed to see evidences of God’s working in our lives than if we were back home. Being away from familiar territory, forces us to recognize not only our helplessness, but also our need for supernatural help. Living in a new environment drives us into the sheltering arms of our Protector and Comforter.

Even where rescues aren’t being prayed for, or people aren’t being saved or redirected, we are still in the realm of God’s providence. He holds both life and death in his hands and does whatever he chooses from cradle to grave. He is in ultimate control of the bad (and the very bad) as he is the good, and will use all to bring us into the safe harbor of his best for our lives.

God’s providence is an extension of his character—he openly reveals his loving personality through his acts. We can take great pleasure in God’s benefits and relax knowing that he is in charge of every aspect of our lives, and even the entire universe. He’s on the side of those who cry out to him. His will for us is laden with design and packed with purpose.

This Ascension, if you are desperate for his presence or are seeking an answer to prayer, ask God to reveal himself to you in a powerful way. Then trust him to bring to fruition his best plan for your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Looking forward to worshiping with you this Sunday. In the meantime, our family continues to prayer for God’s abiding presence and grace in Starnberg Fellowship and in all our lives.

The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
-Psalm 121:5-8