Hmm, I'm Seeing a Theme Here

I’ve said before that I notice God speaking to me when I see a theme to the things I’m hearing, reading, etc. Recently I’ve heard several voices speaking to the same theme.

During the brief sermon that preceded the candle lighting at our Christmas Eve service, our pastor asked, “In what situations and events are we likely to light a candle?” People in the congregation shouted out several answers. Our pastor then went on to describe the different meanings and emotions that these examples convey:

• On a birthday cake a candle represents celebration and joy.
• A candle lit dinner signifies intimacy and warmth.
• Protestors light candles in a gesture of quiet defiance against injustice.

The last example is the one that has been resurfacing in my mind.

A friend of Sara Groves went to Rwanda to assist coffee farmers in the wake of the genocide. His experience influenced her song “Why It Matters”:

Like the statue in the park
Of this war-torn town
And it's protest of the darkness
And the chaos all around

...Protesting the darkness

Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life author and pastor, said this in a recent Christianity Today article:

I found those 2,000 verses on the poor. How did I miss that? I went to Bible college, two seminaries, and I got a doctorate. How did I miss God's compassion for the poor?

The church is the body of Christ. The hands and feet have been amputated and we're just a big mouth, known more for what we're against.

...Protesting blindness and complacency

This week I’ve heard three different songs based on this Bible verse:

And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

...Protesting injustice, cruelty, and arrogance

On a promotional DVD for the non-profit organization Remember Nhu, the last line the narrator speaks is this:

In the face of tragedy we are inclined to ask, "Where is God?" God may be asking, "Where are you?"

...Protesting the wrong question

Many of you know that my husband Andy went to Thailand recently to see how he and his school could join God's work of seeking justice for the children of Thailand who are faced with the horror of forced prostitution. We are trying to determine whether or not God would have me go with Andy to Thailand on a two-week trip in June. Would you be willing to say a prayer for Andy, me, our kids, and my parents (who would watch our kids) - that we would each discern the Lord saying the same thing and be willing to say "yes" to Him? Thank you in advance.