Listen to Every Word!
How did God cause our paths to cross? Three and a half years ago during the Jewish holiday Purim we coordinated a Purim celebration at one of the retirement centers on the west side of the Valley. Purim is in the book of Esther. When God delivered the Jewish people in the Persian Empire from annihilation, Mordecai, Queen Esther’s cousin (Esther 2:7), sent letters to the Jewish people in Persia instructing them …to make days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor… So they called these days Purim. (Esther 9:22, 26). At this holiday our ministry team assembles bags of treats to distribute among Jewish people in the Valley and share the joy of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus. The Purim celebration that year at the west side retirement community was absolutely joyous! And, it was an outreach to be sure with “Jesus conversations” popping up within numerous small circles. It was exhilarating. It was OF GOD! Since not all the treats had been distributed, I drove to my Jewish friend’s home at another senior facility to surprise her. Bernice lived at a large complex known in the Valley as the premiere Jewish campus of care. I was praying that I’d meet Jewish people in the hallways of Bernice’s building. The elevator door opened on the fourth floor and I saw a man looking wistfully out the window. I didn’t think twice before blurting out, “Are you Jewish?” He quickly turned around and abruptly said, “No!” I realized at that moment it was highly insensitive of me to voice that question aloud to someone I’d never met. And, oh my, what a question to ask! What if that inquiry had been posed in the 1930’s/1940’s in Europe? I nearly tripped over myself apologizing to this now quite distraught elderly gentleman. I then excused myself and turned to make my way down the hallway to Bernice’s door. She wasn’t home; I placed the goodie bag on her doorstep. As I turned to retrace my steps, I was face-to-face with the man I’d upset! We spoke on top of each other as we were each apologizing. He conveyed that he was sorry for his rudeness. I assured him that it was I who was rude. Not thinking twice…again…I told him about the Purim bags I was distributing to Jewish people, that we had a most festive celebration at another retirement center, and that I teach the Bible…connecting the dots between the Tanakh and the New Covenant. At this point I had no idea if this man was or was not Jewish. His negative response to my “Are you Jewish?” question moments before was no assurance that he was not Jewish. Over the course of their history, Jewish people have changed their names attempting to mask their identity due to persecution. Such is the background in the book of Esther. I also shared, “Jesus is the Promised One of Israel, the Messiah.” This man began to weep; he grabbed my hand and kissed it. “You know about the Messiah? Please talk to me about the Messiah.” And, talk I did – for two hours! His parting words that day, “I like what you have told me. Please come back and visit.” Since that day over three years ago, two or three of us visit Uri monthly. During the second visit, while posing questions about God, Uri proclaimed that he is an atheist who struggled in Communist Russia! Needless to say, we were taken aback!
Over the years Uri has lovingly prepared for our visits, setting his kitchen table invitingly with Ukrainian tea cups, cookies, and chocolate. At every get-together, Uri stands at the table asking questions about God…questions he has pondered and noted on paper prior to our gatherings! He has been reflecting for over seventy years. While serving under the young Communist youth organization in Eastern Europe, he sought out answers to his questions about God! During those years, Uri was told by religious leaders, “We cannot give you answers because you don’t believe…you are Jewish!” God has protected Uri and has brought him to this place and has given us the privilege of sharing the good news of freedom, of salvation through the Jewish Messiah, Jesus.
In September of 2017 Uri began writing the agenda for our times together on paper and attaching the paper to his wall. The first posted agenda: “Attention: Today there will be a dispute. Can God be killed? Who is Jesus? A human or God? Opponent: Uri.” He was certainly focused. But, a “dispute”? And, why would Uri consider himself an “opponent”? Well, yes, he had been engaging us in “opponent fashion” since our second meeting…squashing our responses and telling us not to speak from Scripture. BUT GOD has placed us in Uri’s life and we press on in His power, continuing to share Scripture with hope in our hearts! During the September 2017 visit, Uri listened like never before. “This is interesting,” he contributed. “You see things from God’s perspective. I think from my own perspective. I agree with you a lot.” That day Uri told us that he believes God loves him and that Jesus died for him! Yet, resistance regarding surrendering to Jesus continued. When we asked him what was standing in the way of his trusting in Jesus, Uri replied, “I have no choice. God is not allowing me to believe in Him because of the brainwashing I experienced under Communism.” We have come against this lie from the pit most adamantly.
As we sat at Uri’s table two days ago and sipped hot tea, Uri shared, “Your hearts are here when you visit me. You don’t leave your hearts home.” He also conveyed, “You know what you told me to do? I’m doing it. Every night I ask God to show Himself to me.”
Please pray with us that God will deliver this man from the power of darkness and convey him into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col. 1:13).
May the freedom found only in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, be the sweetest that Uri will ever know - for all eternity!
For God’s glory!
Cathy Wilson
cathylouwilson@live.com
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