United Church of God

Letter From Lewis VanAusdle - May 6, 2022

Letter From Lewis VanAusdle

May 6, 2022

Letter to the Congregations: 7th May 2022

Our Dear Brethren,

I opened up my door and hopped down out of the white pickup. The seat slid forward and Matt reached his hand out as he pried himself from the backseat. He put both feet on the ground and handed me my backpack. There we were in front of the Russell Hotel in Harare. The pastor, Mabasa Chichaya, and his family knew the location well. We walked together through the iron gate into a beautiful garden area, then through a narrow doorway and up a set of stairs. The podium was set up in front of the modest meeting room with the familiar seal of the United Church of God hanging in the front of it. After the congregation was settled in their seats, the song leader stepped up behind the podium and welcomed all of us to Sabbath services. He opened his hymnal, a familiar blue color with the same familiar seal on the front. We all rose from our seats, opened our hymnals, and began to sing a familiar tune: "Blest and happy is the man."

Just a week before, Matt and I were in a Lilongwe, Malawi on the First Day of Unleavened Bread with brethren there. As expected we had sung with brethren from the same hymnal, familiar tunes and familiar words. In one of our visits to a village in Zimbabwe we had brought a USB drive loaded with the music for this same hymnal. One evening, after a Bible study in the dark after sunset, a small radio was brought out. The USB drive was inserted into the corresponding slot in the side of the radio. Almost immediately the familiar tunes began to play as the brethren fellowshipped with one another for as long as possible. Now back in the Northeast of the United States, Lena and I are preparing for Sabbath services with brethren. At services we expect the same familiar scene: the same seal affixed to the front of the podium; the same hymnal with that same familiar seal; the same hymns being sung in each and every congregation.

It's a beautiful thing to know that no matter where we go in the world, no matter which congregation we are in, we have brethren who will be singing together with us. There are some language differences in various places, but the tunes of the hymns are the same. This is a reminder of the desired unity that God is working toward among His people, this spiritual body which we are part of. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1).

We are unified by our praise to God. We are unified by our love for one another. We are unified by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ which none of us has earned or is deserving of. We are unified by our repentance of sin and our commitment to grow in grace and knowledge. We are unified by the Spirit of the living God. We are even unified in our sufferings. "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy" (1 Peter 4:12-13).

We are further unified by our calling to serve as we have been served by Jesus Christ. We have been given freedom from sin so we may move forward and become more like Him. "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another" (Galatians 5:13-15)! This is a universal challenge which all of God's people all over the world struggle with. From the villages of Africa to the streets of New York City and every place in-between, our human nature fights against the nature which God is trying to create in us.

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). The fleshly human nature within us tells us that we are always right, that our sins aren't as bad as the sins of others. Our human nature tells us that we are deserving of the service of others, that we deserve their love and affection. We have made it through the Feast of Unleavened Bread which reminds us to get rid of sin and the works of the flesh because "those who practice such things [i.e. the works of the flesh] will not inherit the kingdom of God" (verse 21b). We desire to inherit the kingdom of God, to inherit eternal life, to live in peace with our brethren. So why do we continue work against God so much?

Thankfully our God is very patient with us and, as long as we are willing to humbly follow Him, will continue to guide us in the way we should go so we might look more like Him, demonstrating His character and the fruit of His Spirit: "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another" (Galatians 5:22-23a, 25-26).

Our love is with you,

Lewis VanAusdle

Pastor, United Church of God

NYC, NJ, CT, Malawi, Zimbabwe