Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem
As I was setting up today's thread, I did not have a clue as to what to share as to what my "story" would be. Suddenly I was interrupted by a phone call, and the Caller ID indicated that it was my health insurer. I paused in my set-up of the thread and answered the phone. It was an automated call wishing me a happy new year from my insurer, and then launched itself into an automated survey about my satisfaction with the delivery of my health care. Well, that made sense, as the insurer is helping to pay for my health care, so I started answering the automated questions. The robotic voice had a sing-song, condescending, baby-talk feel to it, with phony hesitations and smarmy little fake chuckles, as if the person were deliberately adjusting their tone to talk down to an aged person. I was getting more and more annoyed, but thought each question was going to be the last one...but then there was another...more personal, condescending, and insulting that the previous one! Then the phony voice chuckled and soothed its way into some VERY personal matters, and I slammed the receiver down with an expletive deleted.
I immediately called my insurer and persevered until I got a real human. Then I told him what happened. He confirmed that there was indeed an outside marketing firm that was doing a Patient Survey, so it was not a spoof or a scam. He was appalled, however, at what the survey sounded like, and he helped me compose a formal complaint to the PTB in the insurance company. I said that it does not serve the company well by having outside marketing survey companies INSULT the intelligence of their clients, especially those over 65, by talking to us as if we are feeble minded! He agreed with me.
After nearly an hour of this, I sat down to tell today's story, based upon today's reading, and I STILL was drawing a blank. Then I re-read Today's Passage.
Paul was writing to ordinary people, recently brought to Faith out of paganism, various Greek Philosophies, and Roman State Religion. (Remember...he was The Apostle to the Gentiles.) There were many believers who felt that, since The Messiah was a Jewish idea, the Gentiles had to become Jews FIRST, before coming to faith in Christ. This was a constant undercurrent in the Early Church, and still survives today in some denominations. And so, Paul writes letters, which have become part of our Canon of Scripture.
Notice, that Paul does NOT talk "baby talk" to these new Christians. He does not reduce his writing to the lowest common denominator, nor does he avoid difficult subjects to be politically correct. He does not hold back deep Theological concepts, and does not assume that his audience will be too "feeble minded" to get it. He distills his Truths in succinct, adult language that a modern seminary would take a whole semester to explain.
And, guess what! He succeeds where a whole 30 minute call from the "Automated health Care Survey Company" FAILED.
Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24 (NIV)
God Bless America!
Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.
This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.
Hallelujah and Amen
ML/LTOS