We are starting a mission emphasis month at GO. Lots of things happened this morning in view of that fact. Keith preached from John 21 where Jesus asks Peter 3 times, "Peter, do you love me? Feed my sheep." Of course in very affluent Collin County the question of "Do you love me more than these? (in Peter's case the incredible catch -- and in ours - success, financial wealth, power, nice homes...) becomes a question that causes you to hesitate just a bit. Of course I love you Lord, but can't I love you in my nice 4 bedroom home? Or keep the six figure income...or the executive position...or any of these things that we in Collin County measure as success? Strip away all the pretenses and those questions get a little harder for me personally to answer.
But anyway...back to this morning. Today was the last Sunday that Joel, our intern from the island of Grenada is going to be here. He's such a sweetheart. Keith brought Joel to the front at the end of his lesson and let Joel share his response to the question "Do you love me more than these?". Joel is young - just turned 21. He said people ask him all the time "Why be a preacher Joel? You could be anything you want to be!" and he said he knew he could be a doctor or a lawyer and in fact had been offered a scholarship to study computer engineering in China. But he said "My answer is yes, Lord...I love you more than all of these." It was a really powerful tear jerker moment for me. Yeah Joel! You rock.
Then there was a combined teen and all adult Bible class today where Joel talked more about the island of Grenada and the need that exists for the good news of Jesus to be shared. Then Brian Dollinger got up to share he and Christy's plans for going to Rwanda. You cannot get into that country as a missionary - they are going to teach school. On the way to Jason's Deli after church Matt asked me, "What would you say if I told you I want to go to Rwanda to teach school after I graduate?"
And I remembered the question again - "Michelle, do you love me more than these?" More than having my firstborn son on the same continent as I? My first thoughts are "Oh no, don't ask that of me!" Then, I told Matt I would be so very proud of him if that was the decision he made...I knew he would be serving in a way that he would never have opportunity here. I told him I would cry because he would be so far away. So it was a happy/sad kind of thing.
Lovest thou me more than these?
