The Renches and the gospelPosted by Rick on December 26th, 2001
As I said the other day, I am at the Rench’s. The Rench’s are an absolutely covenantal family that I am glad to have gotten to know. I met them through their daughter Katherine about two and a half years ago. As I got to know Kat, I got to know the whole family. I’ve enjoyed my stay here, and I’ve especially enjoyed talking with Pastor Rench. Theophilus is great too. Theo has down syndrome, so I have been learning a lot about all that this week. I have has several great wines and great talks. Here’s my Christmas Eve quote:
“No, no, you can have that, but don’t touch the ice cream.”—Pastor Rench to two of his daughters that are something like 15 and 12 as they pulled out a bottle of vodka from the freezer to make themselves screwdrivers.
The rest of this week’s feasts:
Today-St. Stephen
Dec. 27-St. John the Evangelist
Dec. 28-Holy Innocents (commemorating Herod’s murder of the children in Bethlehem)
Jan 1-Christ’s circumcision
Jan. 6-Epiphany (commemorating the visit of the Magi or the baptism of Jesus)
On the bus ride down to Lafayette, I had the opportunity to spend about two hours sharing the gospel with a recovering drug addict (painkillers). It was an odd encounter. When I pulled into the bus station, I saw her standing outside, and something struck me. I knew that I would be talking with her. When she got on the bus, she made an effort to sit with me, and later told me that she had, for some reason, been compelled to sit with me. She pulled out a book on Eastern mysticism, and so I asked her if she liked to read. She told me she liked to read a lot about Eastern religion and then asked me if I liked to read. I told her I read a lot, being an English major finishing up his MA. Then I said that I spend most of my time reading Christian theology. She was interested, as all pluralists are. Basically I explained that the Christian religion is not a religion of philosophy, but rather the story of how God works with his people throught history. I explained how the Bible was a book of stories, and that we on earth are part of His story. Since I knew I had two hours, I started at the beginning (Creation), with the story of the Jews. As I went into the New Testament, I explained how God brought the gospel to the nations through the true Israel, Jesus Christ. I told her how God demands that all people everywhere worship the one true God. This was very difficult for her. She had basically spent all her time trying to earn salvation by good deeds and trying to bring about world peace. This is where being a postmillenialist came in handy. I told her that God had already ordained world peace, a time where the lion would graze with the lamb and the child would play by the hole of the cobra. About 45 minutes into this conversation, she realized I was saying that her best deeds were as filthy rags. She need only to keep faith in the Faithful One. This was very difficult for her to accept. I had spent most of my time explaining how her gods were inconsistent. They couldn’t be just. Those gods never bring about peace. Her gods were impersonal and utterly inconsistent. I spent my time showing the beauty of the gospel. She sat there stumped. She sat in silence for a full 5 minutes. You have to understand, there hadn’t been a silent minute the whole trip. Finally, I asked, “Are you scared that I am right?” She tried to deny it: “well, ya see…well…uh…....(silence)...yes.” Then she asked me “What must I do?” I felt like I was talking to the Philippian jailor. After I told her how she must proceed, she had a hard time believing that her deeds couldn’t save her. I explained that because of sin, there is a great chasm between God and us. I explained how God is holy and cannot look at sin. Then I continued to remind her that Christ was faithful to God.
I am always skeptical of reactions like this, but at the same time, I try to be optimistic. She told me that I had made this story sound so simple. At one point when we were talking about Hell, she told me, “Your God is aggressive.” I replied, “Yes, He is very aggressive. He orders all things. He makes that sun rise as He made His Son rise; He makes the grass grow and wither; He makes the flower bloom and fade, He gives us the everlasting Word; He makes your heart beat, and He breaks stony flesh. My God is very aggressive.” She started to understand that the one true God was not like other gods. She also told me that I should become a preacher, which I found funny from someone that really had no idea what all this is about. She told me how she was going home to go to church with her family and wasn’t really looking forward to it until our conversation. She wanted to know how to serve Christ. She wanted to read the Bible (not knowing where she should turn first, I suggested John). She mad a commitment to church while she is finishing rehab (she’s been clean three months and has two to go).
One of the weirdest moments was when she was just shaking her head and giggling. I asked what was so funny, and she replied, “I have joy.” She explained that she had been living in confusion and fear. Later she got really awkward and said, “Okay I gotta say it…The woman that bears your children is will be very blessed.” lol Pastor Rench asked if that was a pick-up line. The funny thing is, that is not the first time a woman has told me that while I was sharing the gospel. I am trying to find the correlation to that.
In any case, this was on Christmas Eve, and she was really excited that Christmas is the celebration of the Incarnation. This God is real. This God is in history. As she said, “This is the true myth.” As I said, I am always skeptical. Her name is Jennifer, and I would appreciate your prayers for her. She is in her mid to late twenties and had a cute little redheaded child that she introduced to me at the bus station where we got off. She seemed really excited at the thought that in many generations, there could be several Christians in her line. As she had an interest in religion, she seemed very interested in sharing this Triune God with others, and teaching her child and her children’s children about this God. In any case, I realize that these things are often temporary. I even communicated to her that these are often like seed that springs up with life and is choked out by thorns. I explained that I am a piece of a body that rots away without my other body parts in the Church. I am hoping something comes of this. I just wish I was a more optimistic postmillenialist 