theMystery.doc

by Matt McIntosh

  M: I just gotta figure out Eternal Life. And then I have my ending.

  ★

  Suddenly, a ball of flame appeared in the sky! It crossed from the east, arcing lower and lower in its flight. And backstage the stagehand responsible for the opening and closing of the curtain received an urgent telephone call from the observatory, saying that the ball of flame was traveling at a very high rate of speed with a trajectory which seemed to suggest it would be coming down soon, and moreover, its point of impact would be the auditorium itself, and more precisely: the very stage upon which the surgeon was delving further and further into the { }, layer after layer after layer, emboldened by the discoveries he was making. The phone to his ear, the stagehand looked around nervously, then out at the stage, biting his fingernails and sweating through his shirt, unable to decide whether or not to interrupt the show.

  X

  I know that a lot of you have family traditions that are normally a part of your life on Sunday evening Christmas Eve. Uh, for that reason we moved the service up to five o’clock, so that we would be done—we’re looking at pushing it as close to one hour as we can, a very brief traditional candlelight service—so that you can still continue on. I’d like to ask you to add a new tradition. I’d like you to have a tradition of being a part of this church, that you would take advantage of that evening, because I’m telling you that your friends and your associates at work, your neighbors, if you invited them to a candlelight service on Christmas Eve, they would probably be very likely to come. Because it is one of the most singularly involved uh invited service where people respond to—it’s just a part of the season, it makes sense to go to something like that. And here’s what I promise you. I promise you that on that evening they will hear about the love of God in ways that will be understood. So this little simple thing that we mailed to you and you have in your hand, it’s your way to simply say, Hey, why don’t you come and join me at our Christmas Eve gathering, and if you want more of those you can pick those up, but Sunday morning regular service, and then Sunday night we have a special gathering.

  Now, we usually show a film at this point about World Ministries as well, but we’re not gonna do that this morning, this morning we’re gonna do something just a little bit different. Uh, this morning, Mike and Claire McIntosh are with us today, and today is Mike and Claire’s final Sunday to be with us, uh, they’re going to be relocating shortly to the Seattle area to be with family, and for the additional treatment and care that he’ll be receiving, uh, from the medical people in that area. And I asked Mike if he could come and be with us in our gathering today—he’s been, he, Mike and Claire have been with us over the last couple weeks. Uh, they’ve slipped in—many of you probably got to see them. For those of you who might be new to the life of our church, you may not know that Mike, who had been a member of our pastoral staff, had contracted, uh, brain, uh, cancer, and uh, and has been, progressing in his body, as he continues to fight, that. Uh, but I I wanted him to come today, and interesting enough, if you can handle this, I wasn’t asking us to pray for him. I felt like I wanted Mike to come and to pray for us. I felt it was important for the gift that he has been for our congregation—both he and Claire—that this would be an opportunity for him to come at this Christmas season and give us the gift. God has, uh, profoundly used Mike over the years, in his life and ministry. The very first video we saw of Kazakhstan we saw how God used Mike as a part of the voice to open up that nation to Foursquare work. I don’t uh talk to many people here who haven’t had any kind of relationship with Mike, uh, to say that he hasn’t spoken into their life as well. In fact, someone said this the other day, Mike, about you. They said, Pastor, when you talk to me—no problem, I understand what you’re saying—but when Mike talks to me, it’s different. I said, What’s that like? He said, He talks to my soul. It’s right in me. And uh, so uh, I know what that’s like. I’ve had Mike as a friend for a long time, and if I don’t want somebody looking at my soul, I just don’t walk around Mike for a while. I just, I’m too busy, I don’t wanna be around you. I don’t want anybody looking at my soul. But Mike has the ability to speak to the heart, get to the heart of the issue, and has always cared about people that way. Uh, Mike, can you come and join me? Claire, do you wanna come and join me as well? Uh, their daughter Annie is here with us as well today, all the way in from Australia. And uh, so it’s a delight to have you as well. Annie, good to see you, hon. And uh, I’m gonna let you hold this, Mike. Uh, and I’m gonna let you say anything you wanna say. Uh, but he’s gonna pray, as well. And I won’t say anything that will embarrass you, but it it I’ll certainly explain, that part of what Mike is uh fighting with the disease is at times, some of the language will be lost, some of the phrases that he would want to communicate, that he may feel deeply inside, may not always find its way out completely. And so when I asked him to pray, I knew that number one he was a secure enough man to do that. Even with that challenge. But I also know that the Bible says—and I don’t mean this jokingly, I mean it truthfully—when the Bible says in Romans 8, that he speaks in ways that when we can’t even articulate, God still gets said what he wants to say. And that’s why I wanted him to pray over us, because even at any point—and I’m not even suspecting that there would be a point that you wouldn’t be able to communicate—but any point that doesn’t capture all of what he wants to say, God will still get it said. So uh, Mike, I’ve said enough. Why don’t you have a shot at saying whatever you’d like to say, and then I’m gonna let you pray for us as well.

  Mike: Well, it’s a, great privilege, for Claire and I to stand here, with you, as we have, many times through the months, through the last year. We have been surprised by, the outcomes of our own life, not by the ministry direction, but by uh, just the home life situation. Uh, recently I had fought…help my dad fight through cancer, I had not anticipated it would be a part of our life. But it is and uh we’re not enjoying it but we have uh used to it, and uh are enjoying you in it, are enjoying what God is doing in it, and are enjoying really the lessons that we learn from you, and in your own, uh…[laughs] spiritual…journey. It’s just, just marvelous. So, I want to commend to all of you for your faithfulness, and uh, your steadfastness, and keeping your hand, on the Lord’s hands. Because he’s good. And uh, my prognosis is maybe three months…or less, until I’m supposed to be, in the Lord’s presence. With no hope of uh…improvement. But that’s OK. I mean I can—that’s a lot easier than

  up and down—

  up and down—

  up and down—

  up and down—

  up and down.

  And uh:

  What is it like tomorrow?

  So I’m just uh…I feel like, at this very important season…uh Claire and I have learned a lot from each of you, from your steadfastness…from your faithfulness, for, from your….courageous…following of the Lord, in uh an inner city world, that uh, needs you desperately, and…so…thank you. Thank you that uh [chokes up] I walk, now on a walk that is…dictated and guided by so many of you. Claire, anything you wanna say?

  Claire: ……Well [clears throat] I just have been thinking this morning how precious it is to be here with you and of the amazing kindness that you’ve shown us, and how little over a year ago when we left our church in Federal Way we didn’t know where God was going to send us or why, but [clears throat] I’m so thankful that he sent us here, and not, at this moment, not so much for the time we had serving you but just for [begins to cry] a safe place to be…during this season and just…[crying] you’ve been so kind and, just…thank you so much……

  Mike: I haven’t been the easiest one to live with. [laughs] Well, let me pray for you.

  Thank you, Lord….Father, there is in the hearts of the people who are gathered here a great compassion, a great…hunger…for you. A great love…for your people. And a great hurt for the city. I thank you for that—I thank you, Lord, that they are drawn to this collection of people, because there is a shared passi
on that you have…for this great city of Portland, and the surrounding area. Lord…how wonderful…to be…part of such a miracle…the miracle of regeneration in a city, part of the miracle of faithfulness to return to our, our spiritual roots and to press in to you, to press in to your kingdom with you…Thank you, that each of us, become better, larger, more, and uh, that some may get to our destination faster, but all of us, fulfill our purpose together. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ Name…Thank you. Amen.

  Amen. Would you say thank you to Mike and Claire for being a part of our life?

  [applause]

  ★

  If you take your teaching notes this morning, I’m going to bring a message, uh, that uh hopefully will capture all of what we’ve uh been exposed to already this morning. I, I always know running the risk of asking Mike to share prior to my message will make my message rather redundant or unimportant, but if it will help you, the message I am bringing you this morning is one that I crafted with Mike, on a drive several years ago when we were in Federal Way and I had been invited to speak at the Hillsboro Church, Evergreen, prior to being your pastor, and um, while I was driving down there in the car and just praying about what I would speak on, the text I’m going to use this morning to talk about was the one I had and, and so I was working on the message while we drove, and Mike was coaching me on the way down saying, I think that sounds good, I don’t think anyone will understand that, and uh, you know, all the way down. So there was a mentoring of my message, and so I’m going to preach this for both of us today. But I’m going to start with our passage of Scripture that we’ve had for the entire month of December. Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6. Would you read it out loud with me, because we’re going to be talking about Everlasting Father today, but let’s read it out loud together, it’s on the overhead here.

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  M: Let’s look again at Our Lady of the Snail Shell. Because I forgot to mention that we’ve been gone for the past—we were gone all weekend. We were seeing Margaret—William and Rebecca’s baby in the premie ward—and we were playing with the girls and taking care of them and hanging out. And we got back yesterday—no, we got back the day before yesterday. Yesterday I was working all day on the…Moses Lake video. Obviously neither one of us put the snail shell on her head…Pretty cool…What does it mean?……

  We’ll see.

  ★

  How to predict

  I once saw a very beautiful picture:

  History

  it was a landscape at evening.

  look for patterns

  In the distance on the right-hand side a row of hills appeared blue in the evening mist. Above those hills the splendour of the sunset, the grey clouds with their linings of silver and gold and purple. The landscape is a plain or heath covered with grass and its yellow leaves, for it was in autumn. Through the landscape a road leads to a high mountain far, far away, on the top of that mountain is a city wherein the setting sun casts a glory.

  monitor rocks

  ★

  (sal2.aiff)

  —and you know your business I know mine—I don’t [laughs] intend to— But flair for the, for the information?

  M: Uh-huh.

  …I could—I I I know, basically…Put the right words down and they’ll…and the right people’ll grab them.

  M: Yeah.

  Yeah?

  M: I believe that.

  Patricia:It may seem daunting at first, but in the end. It’s just one of those stories.

  Patricia:Where their souls (the departed) would make us, feel their presence.

  ★

  So happy, to hear from you both. My handwriting not so hot. Still recuperating I too enjoyed my stay with you all, even while under PAIN & etc. Mario, my son is taking good care of me now. If you have not heared, my other son in Omaha, NEB. died Christmas week he was 43 years. He had an enlarged heart.

  ★

  Well, let’s see if I can get up. [groans] Uh!

  M: Now does that put pressure on your chest when you get up like that?

  No, no. Not now. It used to!

  Yeah.

  But, uh….

  OK.

  ★

  I hung up the phone and dressed quickly. I got in the car and drove toward the freeway. I stopped at 7-Eleven for a pack of cigarettes. I got on the freeway. It is an hour-and-a-half drive from Spokane to Moses Lake. It was late summer, and the fields were yellow. They’d been scorched by the sun.

  I didn’t know what I would find. I was sure that William must have gone out of his mind. I prayed all the way to Moses Lake, and the closer I got, the heavier I felt. I pictured what I would find. The house I saw in my mind was dark and dank and dusty. It had been sitting unoccupied for many years. No sunlight ever entered in. There was no movement. Skeletons in unmade beds. A bowl of rotting fruit on the kitchen table. I merged off the freeway. I drove to the house. I pulled up in front. The neighborhood was very still. The house was still, the drapes closed. It was very quiet. I undid my seatbelt. I sat there, in my car, trying to get the nerve to get out, and walk inside.

  At last I got out of the car and walked up the path. I took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked inside. The house was still, but warm. There were ladies standing around speaking in quiet voices. I walked past them. I found William in the dining room. We hugged each other and cried. He asked me to follow him around and make sure he didn’t start to act funny. You know what I mean, he said. We walked out through the sliding glass door, to the flower garden. I stood behind him as he got down on his knees, and began pulling weeds, tossing them at my feet. His black-and-white dog was tied to a nearby tree, whining, her tail wagging furiously. A leaf floated on top of the swimming
pool. An airplane was passing right over the house. William didn’t notice any of this. He was busy rooting through the ground: Weed. Flower. Weed. Flower. Weed. Flower. Weed. Flower. Weed. Flower. Weed. Flower. Weed. Flower. Weed. Flower.

  Weed. Flower.

  ★

  We’re on the bridge again and this is

  ★

  This battery’s gonna die and I just barely charged it.

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  THE CHANGING OF THE SEASONS

  There was a young girl walking in a green field one day, enjoying the warm, bright sun above her, and the singing of the birds, and the flowers and the grass beneath her feet. When without warning a door opened in the ground below her and out of it rose a man in black, all in a fury, driving a red chariot, whipping four black horses which frothed about the mouth. The girl screamed and turned to run away but the man swept on and with his long, long arm reached, pulled her in to him, and held her down, and another door opened in the ground, and she was driven down, and the ground closed up behind her, and the sun had gone away, and the sky began to snow and soon the snow covered all the ground, and it was cold, and it was quiet

  Help Find Kimberly Ann Forbes

  Wednesday 02/22/2006 11:05:57am