Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering ten-thousand times ten-thousand and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” … After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
~ From Revelation Chapter 5 and Chapter 7
Beloved Brothers and Sisters. Grace to you all, and Peace in our Lord Jesus Christ, Who from Ages past has Loved each and every one of you with an Everlasting Love!
In April of 2017, you invited me to join your community for a visit. We spent a week together, discovering Truth in our Lord Jesus Christ, learning from Romans chapter 1 – 8. We worked on some projects together. We laughed, and we danced, and we played, and we prayed, and we worshipped, and we ate together – marveling at just how amazing God is, and what he can do in a community that puts Jesus at the center of everything. Also, dear Pastor Harrison Gonah and his dear wife, Rose (along with three beautiful boys Triumph, Caleb, and Joshua) you gave me a gift that I will never forget. You made me feel welcome, and you made me a part of your family for over a week. Thank you!
But, many may ask, how is the Bible passage above in the book of Revelation related to a friend visiting from far away, or related to the opening of this beautiful church building? Dear friends, times like that week four years ago, and this opening of a Sanctuary of Solutions in Christ is a fore-taste of what our Lives will be in the Kingdom of God!
From moments like these, focusing on Christ Jesus’s Love, His Church, and His precious Word – we begin to begin to gain a small picture of the Ages to Come. For we are a people who have a Steadfast and Blessed Hope, even in the great challenges that face our world, our communities, our families, and ourselves – today, right now, and right here.
We have The Solution for today, and forevermore: Jesus, and His everlasting Love. He entered into our world of sin, pain and fear. He took the punishment for our sins. He took the wrath and hatred of each one of us upon Himself – and swallowed it up in His love and forever-done work on The Cross.
And then, He was resurrected from the grave, becoming The Firstborn of many brothers and sisters who will join Him, as members of His very own family. Those who follow Him wholeheartedly, trusting not in themselves, but only in Him – shall join Him on That Great Day, where He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, present us with Great Joy to the The Father, and all the pain of this life will fade from memory as we abide with Him in eternal reign over a New Heavens and Earth that will never fade away.
Now, Kenya is an ancient nation. Her traditions go back thousands of years. She forms part of the foundation of the entire African continent. Her 42 tribes have each brought their unique stories to this very moment. Like any nation, it is a mixture of amazing beauty, skill, opportunity and blessing – along with the stresses, failures and pain of this world.
But the tribes and languages of Kenya are also part of the Bible passage above! There is coming a real day, in a real place – Much more real than we can now feel – Where all of us will join every other being who has put Jesus at the center of their Lives as well. We will be reunited with those who have fallen asleep in Christ before us. We will see Jesus Himself! He will look into each of our eyes, as He envelopes us in His welcoming arms – and we will, in that moment, know why we were born. We will be looking into the eyes of our King, Brother, and Friend – and we will be Home.
This is what this blessing is about. The living, the dancing, the worship, the laughter, the hope, the healing, the strength, the victory, the learning, and The LOVE…. All of this, and all that will happen in this Sanctuary of Solutions in Jesus Christ, is a picture of what our Lives will be – forever! – in the Kingdom of Heaven.
So friends, walk into this building and KNOW that eternity is made different in this room, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by you – His dearly beloved Brothers and Sisters in The Family of God.
Your friend, brother, and fellow servant of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Rev. Makala (Mak) Doulos
