Dear one,
Five hours ago, as I glanced out the window—I was seated in a middle seat of a Boeing 737–I beheld the Carpathian Mountains in white-capped majesty; and soon thereafter, as we descended into Bucharest’s Otopeni International Airport, I gazed upon sun drenched fields of vibrant green promising springtime delight, and the promise was fulfilled. Upon landing I saw an abundance of white- and pink-blossomed trees and the gentle hint of other deciduous trees leafing green. Of course I really do not know, but it appears to me that southern Romania is two-to-three weeks ahead of Indiana’s current, seasonal change.
You might recall that I am now in the first hours of a week-long visit to Romania: Friday and Saturday I’ll seek to encourage church leaders in Giurgiu through a study of John 18-19, Jesus’ arrest and trial; and then Sunday I’ll preach twice at the invitation of the Biserica Betel (a local church). On Monday we will travel to Sinaia, where I’ll lead fifty pastors into Mark’s narration of Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. The Sinaia conference begins Monday evening and concludes Thursday noon. From my perspective these studies will be rich in thought and meaning.
But equally meaningful, I pray, will be the conversations I hope to have regarding The Sent One and The Great Opening. That is, if helpful, I would like to pursue the possibility of these resources being translated into Romanian, and then being provided gratis to pastors and church leaders. Even so, of greater import than the translation and publication of these resources will be our engaging one another in a much larger conversation: if the Kingdom of God is a process, as I believe it is (Mark 4:26-29), then how can we encourage a continuous birthing-maturing-harvesting process, which allows for both breadth and depth? In my mind this question is fundamental, not only for Romanian but for Malawian, Ugandan, and American believers; and yet, in answering this question we dare not seek to be formulaic. The parable of Mark 4 depicts a natural process that isn’t always uniform; rather, like life it allows for both ambiguity and mystery.
No doubt you have rightly perceived: this visit will not be one-sided. I have much to glean from those here, just as I did at dinner this evening: even during the Communist era, Romanian Easter traditions remained strong and vital—but more of that in the next day or two.
Faithfully (and in need of sleep),
Stan
Ps. Your prayer and financial support make these visits possible. Thank you.