There are times when something good happens that we exaggerate or over inflate how good it really was. But when God supernaturally shows up, words cannot capture what truly took place. Last night at our praise and worship gathering, the presence of God saturated our small sanctuary. When you are ushered into something that you cannot explain, you simply embrace it, and praise Him and thank Him for the gift of that moment in time.
On a cold, dark, rainy night in East Knoxville, our largest attendance of 26 people gathered in our sanctuary. In attendance were homeless men and women, poor men and women, rich men and women, middle class men and women, marriages in crisis, black men and women, and white men and women. There was even an extremely intoxicated man in attendance who was weeping and begging us to pray for his wife who was in prison. The night defined Mosaic. A group of broken and fragmented people, crafted together by the Master Artist, to make a beautiful piece of art. Everything that Mosaic is about became visible last night.
Our theme for the service was restoration and healing. When our new friend, Donald, came to the keyboard and began to sing and testify about his past, the Spirit of Christ anointed him. He began to tell the story of his painful past for the first time in ten years. It was not rehearsed or planned, but God had a plan. As he was sharing, healing and restoration was taking place before our very eyes. Our hearts were swelling inside of us and our eyes were watering as we witnessed the fulfillment of Jesus' ministry, to bind up the brokenhearted.
Restore: to fix, mend, reestablish, correct, return something or someone to the original purpose for which it was created in the first place. Our hearts have been fashioned by the hand of God. They have been hurt, broken, and cracked. The Master wants to take those broken pieces of clay, and mold them into the very design He intended when He fashioned it, so that we can fulfill His purpose. He wants to restore those hearts so they can become what He meant for them to become when He created them. The cracks, breaks, and wounds once healed, become an everlasting memorial to His love, grace, and mercy. We become trophies of His grace, and we are a reminder and testimony to the world that freedom and abundant life are truly found in Jesus Christ.
When we understand and comprehend what we have been rescued from, and we realize the freedom that is ours through the painful process of restoration, we become the most thankful, grateful people in the world.
Like David we proclaim, "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live..." Psalm 63:1-4
We also want to praise the Lord for our new partner church. Word of Life Ministries Inc. is our newest partner church. Pastor Kevin Perry and his wife have eagerly embraced the ministry of Mosaic and they are excited to partner with us. We look forward to walking alongside each other in the days ahead to fulfill what God is calling both ministries to become. Praise the Lord for our friends and partners.
We will meet one more time on Monday night, November 28th @ 7:00pm. We will begin meeting on Sunday mornings, December 4th at 10:30 am. We invite you to celebrate the love of the Father with us each week. May God restore your hurts and begin the healing process in your life today. God bless you.
Todd
2 comments:
Wish I could have made it.
God's sovereignty was mightily displayed - in everything. What a mighty gift to have witnessed it. I was awed once again at how God knows exactly what He's doing, even when I do not. Was it any accident that our plans the week before were completely changed, so that we should focus on restoration Monday night? I don't think so!
Post a Comment