Travel and Verse

stories of travel, medical missions, and more

Tag: Advent

Gift of Love

December 19, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Advent, Part Four

Travel Journal, 113

On a recent visit to Missouri (more of which you can read about here), I had the opportunity to talk with several retired missionaries. So many of these people had spent the entirety of their lives giving of themselves to God, caring for the people of this world.

When confronted with all the craziness that is the near-cultlike American Christmas Gift-Giving, I have found myself asking why?

Why do we spend so much time, effort, money, and mental strain on selecting or making the perfect gifts for our friends or family? I confess that my heart tends toward the cynical. My immediate reaction is that Americans are so obsessed with self-image, that even giving gifts is a form of social status marker. It feeds into a culture of reciprocity that turns into an ugly cycle. We spend money on stuff to give to others, which causes others to spend money on stuff to give to us, and so on it goes. We might as well all just keep our money and buy whatever we want and forgo the embarrassing clothing exchange at Kohls. No, you did not get my size right!

Of course, this is all hogwash. Sure it may be true to some degree and in some situations, but again, I’m far too cynical.

I heard a honking car outside. We had been visiting with a couple who had lived and served as missionaries in Russia, when we were interrupted. I slipped outside to find a gentleman who I met earlier that day waving me over to his silver Oldsmobile. He and I hit it off right away. He collects clocks. And I happen to really enjoy pocket watches. Smiling, he passed me a very old, silver pocket watch. He regaled me with information and stories about watches and railroad timekeeping.

Most people give gifts out of the kindness of their heart—for Love, which is this week’s Advent theme.

Humankind was formed to be the image of God (Gen. 1:27). This image refers to not only bodily form and the spiritual nature of God, but to the characteristics of God. And His prevailing characteristic is love. Christ’s tale of coming to Earth, living a self-less life, teaching and preaching, and saving Humankind culminates in a very special gift—the gift of self-sacrifice. Christ came to Earth. And that’s what we celebrate now, during Christmas. But He came for a reason, to die in our place.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15). Self-sacrifice is the ultimate gift. What more in the name of love?

We remember probably the most famous verse in the whole Bible—that, God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

anthony forrest

 

Follow along with the Advent tradition! Here are a few passages of Scripture for this week’s theme:

Love

Luke 2:8-20

Psalm 24

I John 4:10

John 3

 

And be sure to check out each one of this year’s Advent stories:

Advent, Part One on the Idyllic Christmas 

Advent, Part Two on Real Peace

Advent, Part Three on Joy Found at Missionary Acres

Joy Found at Missionary Acres

December 12, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Advent, Part Three

Travel Journal, 112

He stood in front of me, tears in his eyes as he spoke of the men and women who served God faithfully.

Were these tears of sorrow? No, these were tears of Joy, which is this week’s Advent theme.

So many things give me joy. I have been accused of liking everything—every movie I see in the theater, every discussion topic, every hobby I learn, and every food I eat. You may think that this is a good thing, but I assure you, no. It just makes me want all the toys and things this life can offer. I want a telescope, a new bookshelf, a polaroid camera, new records, three more bookshelves, three-thousand more books, running shoes, a rowing machine, a kite, and an espresso machine for my birthday. This is not good. It just means that my joy is fleeting and then I’m on to the next thing.

But Ron spoke of a different joy. Stories full of real joy.

All the stories are the same, but they’re also so very different. The stories tell of so-and-so, down the lane, who lived and served on an island off the coast of Japan. There was Ms.________ who worked in the country of Chad (Africa) for 35 years. Oh, and don’t forget her neighbor; she was a single missionary and married later in life. They worked in both Scotland and Jamaica.

Ron and his wife, Joy, live in the backwoods village of Silva, Missouri where, nestled in the trees of the holler, lies the thriving community of Missionary Acres. Over the sprawling property sits a 25-acre park (complete with walkway and gazebo) and over 30 houses. When a missionary seeks retirement, a great option is to come here. This is no assisted living or nursing home. These are simply real houses, housing real people, who’ve done and continue to do God’s real work. Down each lane, you’ll find over 600 years of combined Christian service (yes, you heard that right). Missionaries from all over the world have moved here, seeking retirement and rest. And they may be retired, but these people know nothing of rest.

Ron told story after story that were the same, but different—same format, same style, same faithfulness. For almost 60 years, Missionary acres has given Missionaries, Pastors, and Christian school teachers and administrators a place to hang their hat in retirement.

I really hesitate to call this place a “retirement community.” This isn’t a place of shuffle board and bingo. God’s servants truly never retire. A Christian is called continually to show the love of Christ to the people around them. Age sets no boundary.

They care for people. They serve, just like they did when they were in Africa or Europe or the USA. The only think that’s changed for the retirees is their age. But the work is still the same—showing people the love and joy found in Christ.

Here live the heroes of the faith.

And they are people of a great joy. And when Christ was born, the angels spoke the same message that missionaries worldwide continue to speak. It is a message not of fear, but a good news of great joy for all people. (Luke 2)

In our current spiritual desert of a world, many people are comfortably content with the dry and sad joys that don’t last. But Christ makes the wilderness and the dry land glad. (Isaiah 35) Jesus Christ came to this earth bringing the only lasting joy that mankind will ever have. Toys and more bookshelves might make me fleetingly happy, but the true lasting joy of Christ is truly satisfying.

anthony forrest

Follow along with the Advent tradition! Here are a few passages of Scripture for this week’s theme:

Joy

Luke 2:8-14

Psalm 146:5-10

Isaiah 35

Matthew 2:10-11

 

And be sure to check out Advent, Part One on the Idyllic Christmas as well as Advent, Part Two on Real Peace

Real Peace

December 5, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Photo courtesy Christmas Village Market

Advent Part Two

Travel Journal, 111

We were attracted by a Christmas festival in Baltimore, Maryland. We flew into the good ol’ harbor town of Baltimore specifically to enjoy “The Authentic German Christmas Market” called the Christmas Village. Cozy winter visitors come from all around to take in warmth of this little Christmas scene.

Tiny cottage-like buildings dot the inner harbor at West Shore Park. Vendors sell their crafty goods. Heaps of giant pretzels stacked feet high can’t be missed. Carolers sing. And jolly bearded folk offer mulled wines and ciders to warm the heart and soul. Lights hang low, just above head. Don’t forget to ride the old fashions Christmas carousel. Handcrafted ornaments hang on candlelit trees, waiting to find their home in yours. When you walk away from the Christmas Village, even the most shrunken, Grinch-like heart will undoubtedly grow three sizes.

We walked the lovely little village, ciders in hand. Baltimore surprisingly delivers a wonderful Christmastime opportunity. But like all big cities, all is not calm. All is not bright.

The Second theme for Advent is Peace.

What does peace look like?

Without even looking up a definition, I tend to think of peace as the absence of conflict, suffering, and sorrow. But sometimes peace can be harder to define than simply the absence of certain things. While darkness is simply the absence of light, that does not mean that all light is better than the darkness—take a house fire at night, for example.

So when we walked along the harbor walkway after the Christmas Village and saw a man sleeping on a bench, my gut reaction was that he was simply asleep. But my second thought was that it was 15 degrees outside, he wasn’t wearing appropriate clothing for the weather, and he had several emptied bottles of booze nearby. The man may have had the appearance of peace, but he was far from at peace. He was barely breathing and would have no doubt died on that park bench. I described his situation to the 911 dispatcher and an ambulance arrived shortly thereafter.

The book of Isaiah tells us that unto us a Child is born. His name shall be called the Prince of Peace (among other wonderful things). (Is. 9) And when he did come to earth, a group of angels announced from the sky that this Child, Jesus, brought peace and goodwill to men. (Luke 2) Jesus didn’t just come to earth to ease conflict or dull the pain of existence. He came to earth and brought a real, lasting peace. The peace is Jesus himself. His salvation is not that he came and left. His salvation is that He came and the presence of God has not left. It is no longer dark. And the light is the warm glow of the Son of God.

A simple lack of conflict doesn’t cut it. Without the peace of Jesus, we might as well be drunk on a park bench in a t-shirt and jeans in the middle of winter. That kind of peace is artificial and deadly. A lack of conflict means nothing without the true Agent of Peace, the Prince of Peace. The presence of Jesus displaces conflict, war, sorrow, sadness, pain, and death.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. (Is. 9:2) For to us a child is born. His name shall be called Prince of Peace. (9:6)

anthony forrest

Follow along with the Advent tradition! Here are a few passages of Scripture for this week’s theme:

Peace

Isaiah 9

Luke 2:13-14

Colossians 3:15

Psalm 27

And be sure to check out Advent, Part One on the Idyllic Christmas

The Idyllic Christmas

November 28, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Advent, Part One

Travel Journal, 110

What makes the perfect Christmas? Could it be the anticipation of setting up the tree? Barely making it past Thanksgiving before it goes up? Could it be family traditions? How about the food, gift-giving, shopping, get-togethers, or the Grinch?

Is there a recipe for the idyllic Christmas?

My wife and I went looking for that answer one year. We packed a weekend bag, boarded a plane, then watched expectantly as we descended through the clouds, making our pilgrimage to the land of Christmastide. What better place to look than the one state whose very existence serves to fuel Christmas dream?

Ah, Vermont. Thou home of nearly every Hallmark movie. We had found a nice deal on a romantic backwoods’ inn in the quaint village of Chester, Vermont. I had scoured the depths of the internet to find a great place to spend an ideal Christmas weekend. The results astounded me. Every town in Vermont is an ideal place to spend Christmas. So I picked, at random, a little town with a little inn. Not a hotel. Not a motel. An inn. And I tell you, there’s a difference.

You stay at a hotel because you get to.

You stay at a motel because you have to.

But you stay at an inn because want to. An inn beckons people. Even Joseph and Mary wanted to stay in one (no room). Quaint inns dot Thomas Kinkade paintings and can be found in fantasy novels.

And the Fullerton Inn is the quaintest.

The lovely New England inn is nestled gently in the northern Appalachian Mountains. Each of the windows bore shutters. And the many railings displayed numerous wreaths. We walked in and immediately knew we were in the right place. The place was hung with green. A blaze roared inside the stone fireplace. But above all, the simply enormous Christmas tree caught our eye. As we walked through the entry ogling it, a small bustle of ladies scooted by and one of them stopped near us.

“Oh, you’ll have to excuse the mess,” she declared, “the whole town is getting ready for the Christmas festival!”

Literally, just like a Hallmark movie.

That week we saw carolers and Santas, ate gingerbread cookies, and drank hot chocolate. We’d never been so nostalgic about Christmas—never had such an idyllic and festive time. We talk about it every year.

But neither nostalgia nor Christmassy romance can fill the heart-sized void that all men and women feel. The traditional Christian celebration called Advent (Latin for the coming) begins on Sunday, November 28th this year.

And the first week is all about hope.

I can’t speak for you, but the reason Christmas means so much to me is that I yearn for it. We’ve spent a full year building to something. All the other holidays are over. I’m looking into the next year, worried about whatever is to come. But as soon as I dig out my copy of A Christmas Carol and hear the Hallelujah chorus from Handel’s Messiah, I start to feel that draw. The nostalgia, warmth, expectation, longing, desire, and everything else I can’t put my finger on all comes crashing in on me. And that’s the way it should be. For the Christian, we use this time of Advent to focus on the One true gift of Jesus Christ—God Himself come to earth *to seek and to save that which was lost.

That feeling of longing and waiting is good. Use it. Watch your Hallmark movies (the Fullerton Inn was featured in this one). Drink that second cup of hot chocolate. String popcorn and cranberries (google it). And feel that draw. Something, Someone, good is coming.

The draw you feel this year; all that nostalgia and expectation weighing on you, I say, look to Jesus this Christmas season. Remember His coming. He makes each Christmas idyllic.

anthony forrest

 

 

Follow along with the Advent tradition! Here are a few passages of Scripture for this week’s theme:

Hope

Luke 19:10*

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

Psalm 122

Isaiah 2:2-5

Romans 13:11-14

© 2024 Travel and Verse

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑