Stillnaz Pulls Up The Shade

"On Sunday, March 26, 2017 we celebrated together with our Jamaican family as we dedicated the new Ranch Church of the Nazarene/Jamaica East district camp!" Pastor Isabell Clark

Friday Feature for March 31, 2017 - Check out this brief story by Tony Campolo:

"Several years ago I was having dinner in a restaurant in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I was seated comfortably at a table next to the front window of the restaurant, ready to begin enjoying my meal, when I realized I was being watched. With their noses pressed flat against the glass, three raggedy, dirty Haitian boys stared at the food on my plate. 

Their hair was rust-colored because of a lack of protein and they had the distended stomachs that give evidence of extreme malnutrition. Their eyes, riveted on my food, were disturbing. To say the least.

The waiter, recognizing how upset I was, moved quickly to pull down the window shade. "Don't let them bother you! Enjoy your meal!" he said."

In a sense, isn't that what we all do? Don't those of us who live comfortable lives "pull down the shade"? Don't we hide ourselves from those millions of desperate people who press their noses against the glass barrier that separates them from sustenance we have on this side?" 

For 9 years Stillmeadow Nazarenes from ages 16 to 80 have been interrupting their schedules. They have refused to pull down the shade. Because of their hard work, last weekend the dream called the Jamaica District Center became a reality! 

View a related Friday Feature Story  "CONNECTING WITH MISSIONS" 

Click on the links below to view previous Friday Feature News stories that describe other ways Stillmeadow reaches out to those in need:

YORK RESCUE MISSION

PRISON MINISTRIES

FAWN GROVE COMPASSION CENTER

FOOD PANTRY

YORK CITY CHURCH

NEW LIFE FOR GIRLS 

SERMON SERIES "UNDERDOGS" 

Last month Stillmeadow began a sermon series called "Underdogs". Since then, we've provided a brief recap of each sermon. Last Sunday Pastor Josh discussed another courageous underdog, as illustrated by the life of Esther.

“Esther had to weigh the options. Mordecai was laying before her what she could do with the power that had been given to her. She could take the self-centered way, she could take the safe way and protect herself and stand by quietly while her people were killed. She knew she should do what was right but also knew that it could cost her life. She was trapped between playing it safe or risking it all. But the truth is, the safest route is to risk. If she doesn’t risk her life for others, she diminishes her character and her impact.

What is Esther going to do? Well, she did not choose the safe route. Listen to her reply. Esther 4:16 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my amids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

This kind of reminds me of how Paul describes Jesus’ attitude in Philippians 2.

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!

Where Jesus didn’t consider equality with God something to be grasped, Esther didn’t consider her life or her status as queen something to be held on to. So, Esther acted courageously, took the risk and through her courage and compassion the Jews were delivered.

Practically, this is what Esther did.

1. Fasted and prayed
2. Sought the counsel of spiritually mature
3. Let go of her hold on life.
4. Acted out the convictions of God.

In the end we have the choice—will we with Esther and Jesus choose the attitude of the servant? Will we be selfless, patient, courageous and compassionate and be willing to lose it all for the cause of love and justice? Every righteous act requires that you let go of your own agenda and allow God’s agenda to be primary.

Forgiveness—the center of Jesus’ message and life—this requires that you abandon your case for revenge or bitterness and that you instead remain committed to love despite the hurt.

Generosity—the way Jesus lived—this requires that you abandon your possession of stuff and instead be possessed with giving no matter the cost.

Patience—how Jesus lived towards his disciples—this requires that you abandon your timeline and instead rely on the timeliness of grace, no matter the amount of interruptions of your agenda.

Esther did not consider her life something to be grasped. Will you join her? Or will you play it safe and in the end find yourself destroyed by selfishness and greed and impatience anyway? If you want to live like Esther, consider her a hero, but consider Christ your Savior. He is the one who can enable you to live like her.