I'm afraid I've already become a bit cynical because of how awful chapel at Wheaton has been this year. I want to be on guard against this cynicism; I know it's dangerous. Chapel today was a good antidote.
This week is Jubilee week. The focus is on showing how we can worship God through all we do, and specifically through the particular gifts and abilities He has given to each of us. Think of Eric Liddell. There's a scene in Chariots of Fire when he talks about how ministry doesn't have to be divorced from his running. He feels the pleasure of the Almighty when he runs.
In chapel today we learned how to worship God not just through song, but through sign. Noah, the deaf student on my brother floor, taught us the ASL signs for the chorus of How Great is Our God. As we sang, he and seven other students (including my amazing room mate!!!) signed on stage. It was beautiful. The rest of us joined in on the chorus, singing and signing, and then we closed by silently signing the chorus. Sometimes I'm afraid that I'm callous - I'm rarely moved to tears. But while I watched and sang and signed today, I cried.
I'm working on a long and difficult application for MTW so I can be a summer staffer for Isaiah 55 Deaf Ministries this summer. I feel renewed in my enthusiasm for the work that they are doing there and excited about the part I can have in it. And I'm starting ASL classes taught by Noah tomorrow night!
2 comments:
wow. that's very cool. i didn't see that coming full circle back to Mexico. you never know what God will use in your life.
As a Christian who recently watched Chariots of Fire again for the first time in years, I was struck by how I had always focused on Eric Liddell's story. The story of Harold Abrahams, the Jewish runner, is in many ways even more compelling, especially given the acute Jewish suffering in Europe at that time. (Interesting to note that, according to this bio, he converted to Christianity by 1934.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Abrahams
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