Dear friends,
As I write this, 2 Corinthians 4:5-9 comes to mind. It is a passage I have meditated on much since being here in Merkinch: “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…”
When I arrived in Merkinch last year I had no idea how naïve I was to the heartbreaks of ministry in our scheme. There are many times where I have been tempted to throw in the towel when the ferocity of warfare here gets exhausting, when people reject the Gospel, when people you know pass away. Ministry in a scheme…I have tasted a tiny bit of what Paul means by being “perplexed” or feeling “struck down”.
But also, ministry in our scheme comes with a serious joy. There is great joy in knowing that we get to labour on as servants for Jesus’ sake. There is great joy in knowing that we get to give our lives to invest in people – people who have eternal souls.
So I just want take a moment to thank you for joining in this eternal investment. We are jars of clay, yes…fragile and often broken. But thanks be to God that He uses us to show Merkinch that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are not the light; we have come to bear witness to the light, to Jesus. So thank you for praying with me, for even giving of your money, for caring for me and for the team here in Merkinch. We are often afflicted as we battle on in the trenches. But there is so much joy in knowing that what we proclaim is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord. And the same God who said “let there be light” is the same God who has the power to give “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God” in this place of much spiritual darkness. This work you have invested in is an eternal work, and you are a vital part of it. Thank you, friends.
We labour on in weakness & rejoicing,
Claire
Some ways you can pray:
1) Our team had the opportunity to attend some trauma training down in Niddrie this last weekend. We are praying that the Lord will use the tools we were given at that training to help us better love our community. Statistics say that almost every person in our scheme has experienced at least one form of trauma. Praise King Jesus that He is making all things new.
2) The government here passed an energy bill that has made the price of gas go up pretty high this week. We know that this will cause some of the people in our scheme to have to choose between food and heating this winter. Please pray for these struggling folks – I’m thinking especially of single parents who are trying to provide for their children. And please pray for our church to overflow with generosity and care to those in need.
3) And lastly, below is a little video of a very exciting way you can be praying in the weeks ahead:
Claire in Scotland 