D.L.

I am back at La Casa, and it is becoming a habit. It is Sunday morning, and I have one hour and a half to start Sunday Worship.
The weather is cloudy, rainy, and windy. There is nothing new here except that yesterday was amazing! The sun, the green pastures, and the blue sea were just the best medicine for the soul.
Yesterday, I went to Head Horn, the WW2 outpost, but as soon as I got there, the wind and the clouds were closing in. It was as if I was enveloped in a big blanket of white clouds.
I could not pass that moment by without asking the Lord that I may one day be overcome by a cloud of Glory. Moses had that experience, and it changed him and his community.

This morning, I am sharing about Jesus the King. We have this idea of Jesus as King, with all majesty and Glory, which is right, but that is an idea that I cannot relate fully to. It is either prophesied like that in Isaiah nine, or we jump into the book of Revelation, where we see him with all power, Glory, and majesty.

But what about the King Jesus who rode on the donkey, who cried over Jerusalem and the one who was asked: Are you the King of the Jews? The very one who stood under the dictator Pilate and was crucified by his people with a sign on top of the Cross mockingly referring to his Kingship.

Last week was not what I expected. My plan was to get back to Ballynahinch and get ready for the General Assembly, which is like a Synod of the Presbyterian Church. I planned to have my first session with my mentor and see other friends, but someone in the congregation passed away. He was a farmer, husband, father, grandfather, and man who was and still is much loved in the community.

God’s plans are far better; I was welcomed into the grieving family, their friends, and the whole community. This simple act moved me and was important as I did not know the family. I have not been here long enough to have established a relationship with them. Yet, the hand of the Lord was with us, and I saw him ministering to the family and their friends with love, mercy and care. It was not the introduction I thought I would have in this community, but I know that love and care speak far, much greater.

So, the General Assembly came, and now it is gone for another year; I had the opportunity to speak and support the work of chaplaincy, sharing how chaplaincy in Cliftonville F.C. has opened so many doors and opportunities to bring God’s care.

Opportunities are always at our doorsteps, especially if you have prayed for open doors; the easiest ones to open are the ones that may look too obvious, like yesterday, I met two community leaders only because I went to get some groceries and because I had a strong sense of stopping a “Work House” where I was given a tour of the place and got to know its history and importance during the “famine”. As soon as I walked into the place, I was greeted by the manager, who knew my name! Something is happening.