Face to Face with God in an Unlikely Place

Exodus 3:1-15

Dialogue Sermon
August 28, 2005

Rev. David Haley and Rev. Mike Currin

Mike begins the message:
What you see today is very unusual. Rarely, if ever, are two preachers from two different denominations allowed to preach in the other’s church, let alone at the same time during the same sermon. David and I are “soul friends,” and this friendship has only increased as we’ve traveled and labored together in El Salvador. We’ve taken this dialogue sermon approach because we believe it reflects God’s way of doing work in His Kingdom and reflects the importance of our working together in the cause of Christ. We are the body of Christ and our witness for the Kingdom is strengthened as we minister together to the meet the physical and spiritual needs of the whole world. While organizationally and on some theological issues we may see things somewhat differently, we are each given the same ultimate mission — to fulfill the call of God placed upon us as individuals and as churches.

In the early pages of the book of Exodus, God was working with the individual Moses. He was tending the flock of his father-in-law when we are told that on the far side of the mountain, “the messenger of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.” Now that’s certainly an unusual approach, especially when Moses noticed that the bush was not burned up. And it was out of that bush, when he drew near, that the voice of God was heard calling out his name: “Moses. Moses.”

David, during the three plus years I’ve known you I’ve heard you speak of your friends in El Salvador. There must be some sort of call. After all, you’ve been to El Salvador 10 times. Tell us about God’s call upon your life to minister in El Salvador.

David
People often ask me “Why go to El Salvador when there are so many needs right here? Why not just send money?” For me going to El Salvador and other mission trips is the way God has called me to put the “Go” in “Gospel. We need to remember that Jesus told the disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” (Matthew 28:19), and “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Too often our Christian faith is all wrapped up in going to church. Jesus calls us to go into the world with the Gospel! We all need to go somewhere with the Gospel, even if it’s down the street. Some of us God calls to go a little farther. El Salvador is a country of great needs and much poverty.

When I first went there, I was deeply touched by the spirit and faith and winsomeness of the people. And because I have gone again and again, God has given me a great compassion and a great connection with the people there. I know folks from one end of the country to the other. One of our young people on the team told me: “I know why you come down here. It’s a great ego booster because everyone in the whole country knows you!” But would you believe that last summer I actually said I would never go again? I fully intended to concentrate on other locations. I was discouraged because of the lack of response from people in my church to go. Then God began to work in my heart and remind me it wasn’t up to me to convince folks to go. He would work in people’s hearts. My responsibility is to be faithful to God’s call and to continue to minister to the poor where I have these wonderful relationships.

Mike, this was your first trip. What did you anticipate and how did the actual experience compare with that anticipation?

Mike
David, I think it’s fair to say I didn’t fully know what to expect. Of course, you prepared us very well, telling us the conditions, the heat, the mosquitoes, the hard work, the dangers of what we drink and eat and what to avoid. We were prepared. I guess all those preparations helped and the housing conditions proved better than anticipated. We actually managed very well as we followed our number one rule: BE FLEXIBLE.

Regarding the people and needs, you can’t be fully prepared for what you see. The needs of the people are great, but greater still was their love, acceptance, and genuineness which far surpassed anything I’d anticipated.

For me it was rich experience that taught me a lot, not only about my neighbors to the south in El Salvador, but also about myself and how blessed we are to be able to minister to all people. I’d not only go back, but I’m ready to encourage others to be involved.

Mike to David. The experience of Moses as he came to the burning bush and experienced the presence of God was that he was standing on Holy Ground. In your trip to El Salvador what were your Holy Ground experiences?

David
I can think of several experiences where I felt that I was standing on Holy ground. The first Sunday we worshipped with the New Jerusalem Methodist Church in Ahuachapan. They are a little more charismatic than most Methodists in the USA. But I was deeply moved by the enthusiasm of their worship. Folks were so happy to gather and praise God, and the welcome extended to us was so warm. I felt God’s presence and knew I was on Holy Ground.

During the week of building, I met a wonderful little girl by the name of Estefany. She was the 9-year-old niece of Nora, the woman whose house I helped to build. Late in the week, Estefany invited me to come see her house where she lived with her mother, seven siblings, her aunt, and the aunt’s three children, 13 in all. Estefany’s father died two years ago. She and I became great friends even though she spoke no English. On Saturday, I went to her house with Ed Angel and Richard Sherman. As we were welcomed into the simple home, we noticed only a couple of pieces of furniture in the first room. In the bedroom there were two beds. In the other two rooms there was no furniture. I asked, “where do the children sleep?” They told me, “On the floor.” That afternoon, after the dedication, as we said our goodbyes, Estefany threw her arms around my neck and cried and cried. I knew that God’s love through me had touched this little girl’s heart, and I knew that I was on Holy Ground.

The final Sunday, after breakfast, our group shared in a simple communion service together. To me it symbolized in a far away place how our churches here in Littleton share in God’s ministry together. As I served the bread and Pastor Mike served the cup, I knew we were on Holy Ground, and I sensed God’s presence and God’s pleasure.

What about you Mike? What Holy Ground experiences did you have in El Salvador?

Mike
One of those Holy Ground times was simply seeing the very hard work of the Salvadorans. I was especially touched by their willingness to volunteer their vacation time to work for their fellow countrymen so unselfishly. These were no lazy people who shied away from working or helping. What a privilege to work beside of them, doing something very unfamiliar to me, building a cinder block house. As the week went on, you’d think we’d been working together on this team for months. It was Holy Ground.

Another experience was meeting Hernan, the master builder on our house. What a booming voice he had. Ed Angel, Bonnie, and I were working together. I loved hearing Hernan say “EDDDDD” when calling Ed Angel. It sounded as though he added six or eight “d’s” to the name, Ed. It was so easy to see the joy in his heart and his appreciation for our presence. We saw the language barriers of English/Spanish, the culture differences, the communication issues all broken down as we worked for the same cause, building a house and building relationships with others in the name of Christ. I reflected on this again and again, and continue to do so today. If only we could break down those barriers that so easily separate us in our own land; those barriers of race, culture, social status and so many others.

On Sunday evening we experienced a powerful worship time at the Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel (Emmanuel Baptist Church), with their pastor, Miguel Tomas Castro. It began with praise music and then a celebration of the Habitat for Humanity Building on Faith 2005 Campaign. There were Salvadorans, Canadians, Californians, North Carolinians and others. To hear the testimonies in two languages was a rich experience. From all groups came the stories of God at work. And then Communion happened. They brought in the bread and the cup for distribution. The pastor invited all pastors present to come forward. With no advanced planning we were included in sharing the Lord’s Supper. It was truly an ecumenical worldwide communion, especially as representatives from each church came forward to help distribute the bread and cup. And when the pastor called on me to offer a prayer of dedication for the bread and cup, what joy filled my heart. This is what “blest be the tie that binds” is really all about. It will be a Communion service I’ll always cherish.

Mike to David. But you know, David, not all was easy or one of those “Holy Ground times.” There were times when pain and agony of soul gripped me. In our Exodus text, we are told that God sent Moses because he had heard the cry of the needy and oppressed. In El Salvador, can you describe the nature of the oppression that you witnessed?

David
El Salvador is a country of great natural beauty. Yet because most of the country’s wealth is in the hands of only a few families, the majority of people are very poor. A typical income for a poor person might be $3 per day. Some folks only have seasonal employment in the coffee plantations or other agriculture. There is a great lack of opportunity. Sometimes that’s difficult for us to understand since we live in the land of the world’s greatest opportunity. The sad thing is that the very rich often care little for the needs of the poor. Between 1980 and 1992, a civil war killed 60,000 persons, left thousands of children orphaned, and further hurt the fragile economy. The economic conditions are further complicated by natural disasters. In 1998 Hurricane Mitch caused extensive flood damage, with some rivers being 50 feet above flood stage. In 2001 a series of devastating earthquakes caused widespread destruction of houses. Right now there is need for 500,000 houses.

I believe that God hears the cries of the oppressed. Through our efforts God gave nine families a simple decent place to live. Through other ministry opportunities God will continue to work through us and other Christians from more affluent nations to respond to the cries of the poor and oppressed. I also felt a little personal oppression during my recovery from food poisoning after we returned. Yet I couldn’t help but think of the poor people there who endure such things without the aid of nice hospitals, expert medical care, and easily obtainable antibiotics. Sometimes the poor lose their children to illnesses such as I recently survived.

Mike, did you see things that opened your eyes?

Mike
Medical Needs – Imagine being in a place where even if you went to a free clinic, they may not have simple antibiotics or medicines to treat common conditions like a child’s high fever. On the first Sunday our group journeyed to two Methodist churches to see a free clinic that’s open six days a week. They also conduct mobile clinics in some of the poor regions where people lack availability of medical care. David had arranged for the team to bring a number of bags of Sunday school supplies and medical supplies. They were so thankful, yet deeply concerned about the lack of medicines and the need for Christians to help those who can’t afford basic care. This is a great need which I’ve been praying about since and hope we can ease some of this misery in the days ahead.

Grief – I went to El Salvador thankful for time away. As all of you know, it’s been a very difficult summer with the death of my wife Judy. We weren’t long in the country when we saw a funeral possession. On the back of a Nissan pickup could be seen a casket, with flower arrangements all around. I watched the faces of those who walked slowly behind the truck in mournful procession. It was so different from our funeral customs, yet grief is universal. I felt the commonality of our experience. David told me he’d rarely ever seen a funeral there, but we saw three funeral processions that weekend. Grief and pain are universal. May we never forget that fact.

So, David, where do we go from here? We’ve come back; we’ve had our mountaintop experiences and seen the needs. What might we do next for our brothers and sisters in Christ?

David
Well, Mike, first of all, I think this trip will continue to impact our lives in many ways. One challenge we face is for our churches to continue to work together on various mission and ministry projects. We can also continue to build on our exposure and experiences in El Salvador. Next summer we should plan another joint mission team to build houses for the poor. But even before then, we know of ways we can help the churches there in their ministry and witness. For example, we talked with folks from the Methodist church there who are conducting medical clinics in poor villages. What a powerful witness if we could take a joint medical mission team down for a few days: a witness of God’s response to the cry of those in need, a witness of ecumenical cooperation to respond to God’s call. Our churches have different heritages, different worship styles and other differences. Yet what we share in common far outweighs all of the less important issues that might keep us from working together for God. We share in common faith in God, faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior and a commitment to serve God and bear witness to the Gospel through helping those in need. Our two churches set a wonderful example that is far too rare in our world today.

Mike
I agree. Let’s covenant together and invite our people to pray how God might use us for his Kingdom in El Salvador, or wherever he might lead.