Image from Janine Huldie. |
Roots in Ripon
Chuck Roots
21 August 2017
"Once a Marine, always a Marine."
Sunday morning, I was preaching at the Oasis
Christian Fellowship in Pleasant Hill, about an hour’s drive from Ripon. My
friend and fellow pastor in the Free Methodist denomination, Rob Baker, invited
me to come and share with his congregation. I readily accepted.
Pastor Rob has been there quite a number of
years, bringing an infectious energy that is contagious when you are in his
presence. His congregation is an eclectic bunch covering the spectrum of
Americans of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, ages, disabilities, and diversity
of spiritual journeys. Isaura and I came away convinced that we had been
blessed by these folks more than any words I shared from the pulpit.
Music is one of Rob’s loves, having written many
worship songs in the contemporary genre of church music. I have had a few of
his CDs for the past several years. The congregation is lively and very loving.
It couldn’t have been more than five minutes after Isaura and I walked in that
we were approached by John. We were sitting in the back row, listening to the
worship team practice. This was twenty minutes prior to the service starting. I
always plan to be at a speaking/preaching engagement well ahead of time so as
not to be a concern to the person who has invited me, wondering, “Is he
coming?”
So, anyway, John comes up beside my chair and
says “Hi. Welcome to Oasis!” I stood up to greet him, reaching for his extended
hand. I immediately noticed that he was holding a white stick in his other
hand. His sunglasses confirmed his blindness. We chatted a bit, explaining that
he had lost his vision six years earlier due to diabetes. At this point he
introduced his wife, Dalia, who was sitting across the way. She gave us a big
smile and waved. I walked over to shake her hand, only to realize that she was
confined to a wheel chair. The way she was seated told me her legs were of no
use to her.
This encounter made a profound impression on me.
Here Isaura and I were, fully mobile with all of our senses in operational
mode. Yet John and Dalia extended themselves, despite their physical
limitations, by warmly welcoming us into their fellowship. And they were at the
church well before the service was to begin, no doubt seeking to be a blessing
to someone, as they were to us. They simply could not have been more gracious.
It set the tone for the rest of our time with these folks at Oasis.
Roots in Ripon - Author Chuck Roots |
After several rousing songs of worship, Pastor
Rob asked if anyone had something for which they would like to praise God.
Normally, in most churches I’ve been in, an awkward moment of silence is
uncomfortably endured until someone offers a praise. Not at Oasis! My goodness,
these folks were sharing answers to prayer, thanking God for others in the
congregation who had been praying for them during serious illness, or offering
to help one another. This must have gone on unabated for at least twenty
minutes at which point Pastor Rob brought that part of the service to a close.
I was so enjoying this blessing that I was somewhat chagrined that it had to
end.
I was introduced by Pastor Rob in his typical
tongue-in-cheek tomfoolery concerning my military service, travels around the
world, and other nonsense which his congregation thoroughly enjoyed. Stepping
up to the pulpit, I remarked that I was going to ignore his disparaging
remarks. After all, he referred to me as an ex-Marine! As everyone should know,
there are no ex-Marines. Once a Marine, always a Marine. The congregation took
delight in this bit of repartee between us.
The Scripture I used was taken from Ephesians
6:10-20, which describes how any follower of Jesus must put on the whole armor
of God. Why? Because we are “not fighting against flesh and blood, but against
spiritual forces.” I concluded by reminding these dear people that God has
equipped us to do spiritual battle by providing us with two weapons; God’s Word
(the Bible), and prayer.
Photo from golf.com |
After the service, Isaura and I went to lunch
with a lady (and her son) who used to attend the Ripon Free Methodist Church
when I was the pastor. She now attends Oasis. We spent the time getting caught
up on each other’s comings and goings, all while consuming delightful Chinese
cuisine. I had sweet and sour pork. Yum!
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