As a personal preference....I cannot think of too many things more enjoyable than conversation with another Christian on our God, our Savior and His written Word to us. Conversely....to spend an hour or so with a brother in Christ and not talk about our shared faith is more than disappointing. The following post from December of 2012 is a simple dialogue. Betty and John Hunter are their way to visit Jen and Tom Ayers. They know each other but as it turns out....not as well as they thought. What I want to do here in this post is take the same concept and apply it a little bit differently. I'll title the post which directly follows what is below....Who Knew Part II
Who Knew? (December of 2012)
One Act Play...sort of.
Betty: Where's your smile John?
John: This is my smile.
Betty: I know better than that.
John: I know. I like Tom. It's just....It's all hunting and sports with him.
Betty: What about me? Jen is like... almost a chef...(pausing) But they were nice enough to ask us over.
John: I just hope that I don't have to look at more pictures of Tom crouching over a dead deer.
Meanwhile at the home of Tom and Jen Ayers.
Jen: Tom! Try to smile. They're nice people. It's not going to be that bad.
Tom: Jen. I know they are nice but we have nothing in common. John is a contractor. Going to Lowe's is like sitting in the dentist's chair to me. And Betty...Her conversation is all triglycerides, blood pressure and vitamins while I haven't been to a doctor in my life.
Jen: (Peeking through the drapes as a light flashed outside) They're here...be nice.
Tom: I'm always nice!
Betty and John enter with a bottle of wine as a gift.
Jen: Thank-you. Ooh, Tears of Gettysburg. It's one of my favorite wines!
Tom: Hi John. How's everything?
John: Hi Tom. Fine. How's everything with you?
Tom: Good.
Betty: It's just about to rain. My Arthritis always acts up in damp weather.
Jen: Well we have dry heat. Maybe you won't notice?
Jen served up a beautiful (there's no other word for it) vegetable plate and dip. and Tom didn't have to show pictures, for a mounted deer head was hanging a foot over John's head at the table. Tom felt obliged to comment.
John: Wow! Get that this year Tom?
Tom: Yeah....ten point. I was only an hour in the woods.
Betty: This dip is great Jen.
Jen: I'll give you the recipe Betty and walk you step by step through it.
Tom: What have you been up to John?
John: I'm remodelling the kitchen. The house is a disaster area right now.
An hour into the visit and John's complete design was laid out for Betty and Tom. Tom then started talking about his golf game. John just smiled and nodded not having the slightest idea what a slice was. Jen took Betty into the kitchen to prepare the dip while Betty analyzed the ingredients to see how the the evening would affect her triglycerides. The four then retreated to the living room and Tom was happy to get out from under the mounted dear head.
John: Whew! It's 9:30. Maybe we ought to be heading home Betty?
Betty: Well, church in the morning. We go to a 9 AM service.
Tom: Where do you go to church?
John: First Reformed Presbyterian in Lawrenceville. How about you?
Jen: We go to First Baptist right here!
Betty: Do you have a good preacher there?
Tom: Betty, he preaches the Cross of Christ every week. I don't know what I'd do without it.
John: That's unusual Tom...preaching Christ.....We're blessed too. I don't think that we have ever had a Lord's Day where the Gospel wasn't preached. We had spent five years in a church previous to First Reformed Presbyterian where the Gospel was never really preached; the name of Jesus was everywhere but nothing about our lost condition and Christ's atoning work on the cross.
Jen: Hey! Can you two stay a little bit longer. I'd like to go into the den and show you Tom's bookshelves. Have you ever heard of Michael Horton?
John: Jen, we were on a White Horse Inn cruise in April and had conversations with all of those guys! I'd like to see the books. Got any decaf coffee?
Tom: It'll only take a few minutes. What about getting up early?
Betty: Ah...we both had afternoon naps today...Right John?
John: I'm not tired at all.
John and Betty then spent and additional two and a half hours at the homes of their friends. In the car on the way home the conversation went like this:
John. Ya know. I really like Tom. He's a wonderful brother in Christ.
Betty: When do you think the kitchen will be done so we can ask them over?
John: The kitchen doesn't have to be done. I already asked Tom about coming over next week. You don't mind do you?
Betty: No! We'll just put some plastic up over the doorway to the kitchen.
Meanwhile back at Tom and Jen's:
Jen: How about that Tom, and I just love Betty. What a wonderful time tonight!
Tom: I was wrong about John. Yeah he has those interests but I never knew that they paled next to his Christian faith.
Jen: Who knew
Tom: Yeah. Who knew?
John: This is my smile.
Betty: I know better than that.
John: I know. I like Tom. It's just....It's all hunting and sports with him.
Betty: What about me? Jen is like... almost a chef...(pausing) But they were nice enough to ask us over.
John: I just hope that I don't have to look at more pictures of Tom crouching over a dead deer.
Meanwhile at the home of Tom and Jen Ayers.
Jen: Tom! Try to smile. They're nice people. It's not going to be that bad.
Tom: Jen. I know they are nice but we have nothing in common. John is a contractor. Going to Lowe's is like sitting in the dentist's chair to me. And Betty...Her conversation is all triglycerides, blood pressure and vitamins while I haven't been to a doctor in my life.
Jen: (Peeking through the drapes as a light flashed outside) They're here...be nice.
Tom: I'm always nice!
Betty and John enter with a bottle of wine as a gift.
Jen: Thank-you. Ooh, Tears of Gettysburg. It's one of my favorite wines!
Tom: Hi John. How's everything?
John: Hi Tom. Fine. How's everything with you?
Tom: Good.
Betty: It's just about to rain. My Arthritis always acts up in damp weather.
Jen: Well we have dry heat. Maybe you won't notice?
Jen served up a beautiful (there's no other word for it) vegetable plate and dip. and Tom didn't have to show pictures, for a mounted deer head was hanging a foot over John's head at the table. Tom felt obliged to comment.
John: Wow! Get that this year Tom?
Tom: Yeah....ten point. I was only an hour in the woods.
Betty: This dip is great Jen.
Jen: I'll give you the recipe Betty and walk you step by step through it.
Tom: What have you been up to John?
John: I'm remodelling the kitchen. The house is a disaster area right now.
An hour into the visit and John's complete design was laid out for Betty and Tom. Tom then started talking about his golf game. John just smiled and nodded not having the slightest idea what a slice was. Jen took Betty into the kitchen to prepare the dip while Betty analyzed the ingredients to see how the the evening would affect her triglycerides. The four then retreated to the living room and Tom was happy to get out from under the mounted dear head.
John: Whew! It's 9:30. Maybe we ought to be heading home Betty?
Betty: Well, church in the morning. We go to a 9 AM service.
Tom: Where do you go to church?
John: First Reformed Presbyterian in Lawrenceville. How about you?
Jen: We go to First Baptist right here!
Betty: Do you have a good preacher there?
Tom: Betty, he preaches the Cross of Christ every week. I don't know what I'd do without it.
John: That's unusual Tom...preaching Christ.....We're blessed too. I don't think that we have ever had a Lord's Day where the Gospel wasn't preached. We had spent five years in a church previous to First Reformed Presbyterian where the Gospel was never really preached; the name of Jesus was everywhere but nothing about our lost condition and Christ's atoning work on the cross.
Jen: Hey! Can you two stay a little bit longer. I'd like to go into the den and show you Tom's bookshelves. Have you ever heard of Michael Horton?
John: Jen, we were on a White Horse Inn cruise in April and had conversations with all of those guys! I'd like to see the books. Got any decaf coffee?
Tom: It'll only take a few minutes. What about getting up early?
Betty: Ah...we both had afternoon naps today...Right John?
John: I'm not tired at all.
John and Betty then spent and additional two and a half hours at the homes of their friends. In the car on the way home the conversation went like this:
John. Ya know. I really like Tom. He's a wonderful brother in Christ.
Betty: When do you think the kitchen will be done so we can ask them over?
John: The kitchen doesn't have to be done. I already asked Tom about coming over next week. You don't mind do you?
Betty: No! We'll just put some plastic up over the doorway to the kitchen.
Meanwhile back at Tom and Jen's:
Jen: How about that Tom, and I just love Betty. What a wonderful time tonight!
Tom: I was wrong about John. Yeah he has those interests but I never knew that they paled next to his Christian faith.
Jen: Who knew
Tom: Yeah. Who knew?
WHO KNEW....Part Two
Toni: Where's your smile Jim?
Jim: This is my smile.
Toni: I know better than that.
Jim: This is my smile.
Toni: I know better than that.
Jim: I know. I like Pete a lot. It's just that all that talk about politics...all the time....and it's the same conversation and topics.
Toni: Well it's the same with Linda. If it's not the schools it's the library and if it's not the library it's something else.
Jim: Listen to us talking about our best friends....not only friends but wonderful Christian friends!
Toni: I want to get together with them....but I feel guilty every time the evening is over.
Toni: Well it's the same with Linda. If it's not the schools it's the library and if it's not the library it's something else.
Jim: Listen to us talking about our best friends....not only friends but wonderful Christian friends!
Toni: I want to get together with them....but I feel guilty every time the evening is over.
Meanwhile in the car pulling into the driveway....
Linda: Try to smile. They're our best friends....and we love them.
Pete: I just feel that I'm letting them down. I'm no help to them.
Linda: I know....but how can we have best friends and they probably don't even know that much about us?
Pete: It's not only Toni and Jim....I don't think that I've had a real edifying conversation with another Christian in....I don't even remember when.
Pete: I just feel that I'm letting them down. I'm no help to them.
Linda: I know....but how can we have best friends and they probably don't even know that much about us?
Pete: It's not only Toni and Jim....I don't think that I've had a real edifying conversation with another Christian in....I don't even remember when.
the dog begins to bark...
Linda: They're here.....smile.
Pete: I'm tired of smiling.
Pete: I'm tired of smiling.
Jim and Toni brought a small plant as a gift....and the dessert. The meal that Linda prepared was wonderful. The four of them laughed all evening. Jim and Pete took off for a while to walk around yard as Pete showed Jim his new riding lawn mower. Meanwhile Linda and Toni just gabbed. Both couples attended the same church....in fact that's how they met about ten years previous....and the kids went to the same school. So at 10:00....they knew that it was probably time to wrap it up....so that they all could get up early in the morning....get the kids dressed....and head off to church.
Jim: Well it's ten o'clock....
Pete: And all's well!
Pete: And all's well!
Toni: Yeah all's well.
It was Linda's turn in this little ditty...she paused....
Linda: All's well that ends well.
She paused again as everyone was silent at that odd comment....Linda sensed this and continued...
Linda: Maranatha....Lord Jesus come!
Toni looked at Linda a little startled...
Linda: Yes Lord....come tonight!
Pete: Have mercy on us Lord for what we have become!
Jim: Open our eyes Lord.....forgive us Lord....prepare us Lord for what is to come!
It was as if....as if....the Holy Spirit had come down upon the four of them....as if the room was now a holy place! One after another their comments continued....
Lord blow away this fog....show us how near Thou art
Awaken us Lord....awaken me to the trivialities that have put me to sleep
Move upon Thy church Lord as a heavy wind upon the stalks of wheat
Move upon Thy shepherds Lord....give them courage to break away
Call Thy remnant together Lord....let us recognize one another
Call us out of the world Lord....forgive us for dallying
Reveal to us Lord the nearness of Thy coming
Give us boldness to proclaim Thy coming Lord....take our fear away
Lord we praise Thee....not for the blessings but for the mercies and the patience
Lord we praise Thee in that Thy will is perfect....show us Thy will Lord
This spontaneous praise and thanksgiving went on and on for what seemed like an hour. Indeed it was nearing eleven o'clock. For the first time they looked up at each other....and for the first time saw each other for who they really were! It was as if Jim saw Pete for the very first time....and Pete saw Jim....and Jim saw Linda....and Pete saw Toni....and Toni saw Pete...and Toni saw Linda....and Linda saw Jim....and Linda saw Toni....all for the first time.
They all....all four of them....the two couples....had kept to themselves that they believed that Jesus was at the very door....and because of that....guilt had overwhelmed them after they met together!
There was no explanation needed as they embraced at the door....they had been freed from some sort of bondage. Pete and Linda rejoiced on their way home....and Jim and Toni as they closed the door and turned out the lights.
And each of them....all four of them....as they lay their heads on their pillows that night....could only wonder in that they were so near as couples....and as brothers and sisters in Christ....and yet so far away!
