Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Beautiful (11/07/05)
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TITLE: True Beauty | Previous Challenge Entry
By Helen Cannie
11/10/05 -
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Together Mikael and I must have presented a curious pair, his tall and lean to my short and chubby. My Anglo-Saxon background had brought me to Jesus mainly through the Gospels and the teaching of Paul. His Semitic-Ethiopian heritage had brought him to Jesus through the Gospels and early followers and contemporaries of Jesus through Egypt.
He had once told me that in his native land, those who practiced Christianity in other than their Orthodox Christian was considered somewhat lower in station. People who were anything other than Christian were so looked down upon that they were ostracized. He confessed to knowing people that would cross the street rather than be in such proximity with a non-Christian.
As we waited for the session to start, the building was filled with spontaneous songs of praise. It struck me how a gathering of faith-filled Christians from all different places could sound so harmonious. It was beautiful. It seemed to me that the ability of unrelated Christians to join together so seamlessly was one of God’s sweetest blessings.
As I joined into the praises, Mikael was scanning the crowd surrounding us. Shortly he nudged me and gestured toward a small group of people in the next section. “Their Ethiopian,” he said. “You can tell.” Looking toward where he indicated, I saw several people much like Mikael, tall and slender. They had very fine features with dark rich skin tones. One woman in particular, with very long black hair combed forward in a silken mane, was stunningly beautiful. I nodded my understanding but returned to my song as he returned to scanning the people before him.
Not much time had passed when he sought my attention again. This time his expression appeared disturbed. “Helen, I have to tell you this has me feeling something – something like a culture shock. In Ethiopia we didn’t have large gatherings like this. Well, yes, we did. Large groups would come together, just not like this. At home, we would all be alike, the same religion, I mean. Look on the floor down there. Do you see the men wearing turbans and the woman in a sari? At the session this morning, do you remember one of the people that were healed claimed that he and his wife were Jewish? How can all these people come together like this? There are Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and more. I have never known anything like this. Do you understand what I mean?”
I looked around us to see what he was seeing. I remembered the man from this morning that had said that Jesus was Messiah. I saw the men on the floor wearing turbans and remembered seeing two women in the ladies’ room wearing saris. I knew that there were different Christian denominations here but hadn’t given it a thought. Only with his questioning did I recognize the beauty of what I was witnessing.
I turned toward Makael and explained. “Makael, you’re right. There is probably every Christian denomination you can think of here and a few more besides. The bottom line here isn’t what denomination you are but whether or not you believe in God and are at least open to Jesus as Savior and Lord. If you think about it that is the only thing that matters. Faith is the true beauty.
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