good news

My friends got good news today. It’s been a long process. As they shared their effervescent faith over the last years a church naturally sprung up. How could it not: when people love Jesus they can’t help but hang out with each other and praise God for His incredible goodness! When they face sickness, death, and persecution, being there for each other is only natural. When there’s the joy of a birth, wedding, or holiday, gathering to share it enlarges the delight. It’s contagious!

And that’s where we were today. Evening perfumed the air with jasmines in the courtyard of a small, Mediterranean church as we gathered from throughout the region to celebrate a wedding. The simple, awesome miracle of celebrating two becoming one in purity and love. Wow. What a statement in today’s world. At the reception we gathered with bursts of joy as we met brethren from distant cities we hadn’t seen in months or years. The climate and aura of celebration was so Middle Eastern that I kept turning around, expecting to see Jesus turning water into wine.

Yet it was interesting to note that each time we got to the height of celebrating Jesus, the local mosque turned on it’s loudspeakers, blasting their “call to prayer” at such incredible volume that it was hard to hear anything. It was obvious that the megaphone had been moved to face right towards our small courtyard. And it was odd, because the “call” is only meant to go off five times a day at set times. Yet I never heard a single complaint or murmur against the intruders. The worship and joy flowed on unhindered.

Then I heard about the good news. The church our friends started has had it’s ups and downs. So much so that they have learned the grace of taking both in stride. The local government is Muslim, but is seeking to portray itself as tolerant, so instead of strict laws against churches, there is simply ongoing, continuous harassment. It is designed to wear out spirits and eat up finances. Our friends have been forced to spend thousands in court cases. And hours in court. This spring they were denied water on the premise, and then shut down because they had no water. This summer they were shut down because it was decided that they are too close to a mosque. The fact that the mosque may be more recent is a non issue.

My friend giggled, trying to explain this to me over the second loud Muslim “call to prayer” in an hour. “I wouldn’t know how a mosque could ever bother a church by being too close to it.” she laughed. “And it’s not like we ring any bells.”

But the good news was that this government keeps telling the world that they provide freedom of religion to all people of this land. And the good news is that our friends are very lovingly patient, but not silent. Word of this latest church closure reached the US State Department, and our friends were asked to speak to members of the American government on the issue. Within weeks the Ambassador was at the church, asking questions. When they showed her the stacks of years of court cases and all the copies of slanderous and lying newspaper articles written she concluded the appointment by committing to go to the government of this nation herself on their behalf.

This is good news. But the best news is that even if nothing happens; even if as a result some of the death threats that have been leveled against many of the pastors are carried out - Christ is still on the Throne. The good news is that the Good News is unchanging, no matter what little Goliaths may froth and fume.

We pray that good news will develop from this; that perhaps a time will come that the churches here could be given the freedom of religion that they are promised in great, empty speeches. But even if the opposite comes to pass, the Good News continues to spread throughout the region, uncontainable in it’s marvelousness.