Hosanna

Yesterday was Sunday- church day. As I sat and listened (of course, seeing everything through "Guatemala goggles" now), I had a mini revelation. Here's what happened:

Pastor Pat was talking about what Jesus accomplished when he came, died, and rose again. I've heard the Gospel and the Easter sermons and I know that God came and died for our sins to be forgiven. But sins isn't a word most people use. That's Bible talk. Only a Christian knows what "sin" means. So to be honest, sometimes it's hard to really be emotionally invested and wholeheartedly grateful for the forgiveness of such a vague and undefined term. So what makes this sermon different from any other? It all boils down to one phrase the pastor used to describe what God did when he sent Jesus to Earth: Jesus was on a search and rescue mission.

This immediately brought my thoughts to Operation Baby Rescue. More specifically, Carlos (the founder of this ministry) talking so passionately about saving the babies. Carlos saw sick and starving children, and he knew it was God telling him to do something about it. So he built a rescue center. Some mothers come to the center on their own; they walk for hours to bring their children there. But not all of them. Some are still up in the mountains- either because they don't know there's hope, they don't think anything could save them anyway, they're too scared, or they're too stubborn. So what does Carlos do? He goes after them. He says sometimes you have to be Mother Teresa, but sometimes you have to be a lion. In order to save these precious lives, he has to risk his own. Sometimes he has to forcibly remove them from abusive situations. Sometimes the parents threaten to kill him. But it's important so he goes after them anyway.

I wish you could hear the passion and determination in Carlos' voice, because that's what really hits home with me. The earnestness, the urgency in his voice as he talks about the rescues...Imagining God saying those things and feeling that way about us.... It moved me to tears. I already believe in Christ's sacrifice, and I have already been born again as a believer. But I have always been a visual learner, have always been more impacted by a picture or a movie than just words. And this parallel between Carlos' passion for rescuing the sick and dying children of Guatemala and God's passion for rescuing the lost and broken souls of His children really struck a chord with me. What great and powerful love it takes for such a sacrifice! Carlos has risked his life for the Guatemalan babies. Jesus GAVE HIS UP. He went all the way. Just as the babies haven't donated money or built a school or done anything to "deserve" salvation, neither have we. But God saved us anyway.

Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!