Deuteronomy and The Lord's Rain

Deuteronomy is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It should be required reading for anyone who's going through a tough time, wondering how he or she is ever going to pull through; it inspires one to think back over past crises and remember how God has come through in the past, and declare that He's not going to let them down now.

Deuteronomy (the word means "the second telling") is the last of the five "books of Moses", and consists of a recap of the previous 40 years. Moses, standing at the brink of the Promised Land (which he knows he'll only be allowed to see and not set foot in), reviews for the Israelites all the hardships and trials they'd gone through, all the victories God had given them, all the bad choices they'd made, and all the ways God had pulled them through. He also reminds them of the promise -- the land God had sworn He would give to their forefathers. Fired up with that reminder of His faithfulness in the past, the Israelites are prepared to cross the Jordan into that land.

I was prompted to pull out Deuteronomy early this morning (Sat. 13 Dec) and start reading it, and it was even more impressive, as it goes over the battles in which the enemy seriously outnumbered them ... or seemed more powerful ... or had cities that had enormous walls that no one thought could be scaled ... and yet with God in command, the Israelites moved forward.

And why would I be "prompted" to get up at 3 am and read Deuteronomy? It had a lot to do with the headline in yesterday''s 24 Hours, the daily fishwrap handed out free at SkyTrain stations, which itself was arresting: "Gospel Mission in dire straits". Having recovered from the near whiplash caused by the double-take (my comedy tends to make Kramer look understated), I realized the headline was referring to Union Gospel Mission -- not us. Regardless, the story was about the decline in donations at UGM, and the underlying theme is that donations are down all over.

So, indeed, are they with us at Gospel Mission, which is why a sort-of Deuteronomy is in order at this stage, and since you all have a stake in this, allow me to do my Moses impression, so we can all be fired-up with faith again.

The best records Barry can find show that Gospel Mission was founded "sometime in the 1920s" (I've seen a reference to the Mission being founded in 1929, but can't find it now). Now, in those days, the Downtown East Side was not the Skid Row cauldron of despair it is today: it was the business and entertainment heart of Vancouver. The Pantages Theatre was still running vaudeville shows; there were restaurants, clubs, law offices, a couple of consulates. Why would God have the Apostolic Church of Pentecost (ACOP) plant a Mission right bang in the middle of such unbridled prosperity?

Because He knew what was coming. Late that year, we ran smack into the Great Depression, which, coupled with the Dust Bowl days, landed a lot of guys on skid row -- and the Mission was sorely needed. God provided for the Mission through the Depression, followed by World War 2, and through the decades, including at least three major recessions, and now the current financial uncertainty. Through that time, the Mission has stayed alive and kicking, ministering the Word and preaching Hope -- the wonderful, intangible hope that comes in Christ.

Just as in 1929, people on the Downtown East Side today have been failed by the world's "systems" -- not just the economic system but the various social experiments that have moved in, trying to undo the damage done by choices that "seemed like a good idea at the time."

Truly, the only source of hope is in the knowledge that God is able to do what He's said He will do. Hey: we've not only stayed alive and kicking, but expanded this year, totally under the direction, leading and provision of God. He engineered the whole building of The Lord's Rain, providing the vision, the prophecy, the space and -- most importantly -- the people, doing what they can, as much as they can, to make it happen. (That would be you, by the way ...) The construction has been nothing short of a miracle, and the expansion -- including the new daytime openings on Mondays and Fridays with our newfound sister Teresa -- has come exactly in His time. The Ministry has developed "by little and little", with God meting out the responsibility -- and the blessing -- as He knows we can handle it (that's also in Deuteronomy -- Ch. 7, v. 22).

As I say, God knew what was coming back in 1929 when He ordained Gospel Mission on the brink of the Depression: looks like He sees something else coming, that will make the work of Gospel Mission even more crucial. Perhaps the idea is to step up efforts to turn lives around and get the currently poor moving up and moving on so that the soon-to-be-poor will have someplace to come to have their hope and faith restored.

As an aside -- speaking of Hope and so forth -- Christmas can be a depressing time of year for many people. How many times have you seen a newspaper awash in adverts telling us how to have a happy unspecified holiday (good morning, Stuart Shepard!), and stuffed in amongst the with a feature-length piece on some psychology boffin talking about how depressed people get at Christmastime?

Don't think there isn't a connection. The more our society tries to excise Jesus from talk of Christmas, the more we're left with some bizarre near-winter ritual that involves buying stuff and eating fancy food and having parties but no apparent reason - and certainly no expression of Hope. We're left with stupid songs about "the man with the bag" and forced fun that has all the sincerity of a Tom Vu seminar. No wonder people get depressed, no matter what their income bracket. That's a truth Charlie Brown uncovered 43 years ago, and somehow it's fallen further away from us, no matter how many times we watch that show and mouth along with Linus, "Lights, please".* (If you haven't already, Google "Merry Tossmas" and check out Stuart Shepard's video -- which he's updated this year. And be advised that Central City in Surrey is actually using the word "Christmas" and the expression "Merry Christmas" in its ad campaign. I know where I'll be doing my Christmas shopping -- worth the SkyTrain ride!)

But I digress. This letter is our own "Deuteronomy" for Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain: a testimony to God's faithfulness and provision over nine decades in a city that's only in its 13th decade -- and a reminder to you that the stake you have in this work continues to pay off and continues to move forward. Thank you for all you do: truly, we will probably never know how many lives are changed by it!