Any of you that know me well, know that I have a passion to see and understand the things that God is doing among the nations...what has He done in history...what is He doing today and how does His word show itself as true and transcendent? Since the earliest days of my journey with Christ, I have been receiving emails, magazines, and journals keeping me updated on all that is happening in the lands and people groups that I don’t live among. I love to talk about it, pray for this work, impart this fire into my students, and be changed by the wonders I am learning. God is indeed answering this prayer by allowing me to be on this trip! Here are some of the highlights that He has shown me as we’ve toured Rome this week:
Rome Baptist Church: Sunday morning, Kim and I made our way into the small but VERY multicultural church. We joined in worshipping the Lord with saints from all over the world, including several from the Philippines, Asia, and Africa. The worship songs were traditional and easy for us to follow. Some were hymns (Great is Thy Faithfulness and Yes, Lord Yes) and others were modern (Beautiful One). The church doesn’t have Children’s Ministry for the months of July and August because so many of the workers are gone...how do you like that? :-) And so the Pastor first had the kids come forward as he gave a mini-lesson directed to them. Next he spoke to the congregation out of Exodus 20 about the Ten Commandments. This is ironic to me as my church in Phoenix is also preaching through this same passage on the Ten Commandments! And to close the service, all of the visitors stood, introduced themselves and told a little about how they came to this place. At first we were hesitant to share, but all in all, this was a really sweet part of the service as it made you feel welcomed and known.
Castle di Sant’ Angelo: This was our second excursion on the day that we toured the Vatican and was definitely one of my favorite parts of this time in Rome. This ancient castle has been used for many different purposes throughout history. It was originally built to be a tomb for the emperor but was later used as a castle, a prison (wow!), a place of refuge for the popes when the city was under attack, a storing place for the vatican treasury and now as a museum. Kim and I first walked in the grand entrance, around the high walls, down a winding ramp into the basement - which we later found out was the funeral procession - and we were wide-eyed and in awe of this castle. I’ve never been in a castle like this...I could only think of the word *refuge*. Then we made our way up, up, up the steps. On the first floor, we could see over the first rim or balcony and spotted stock piles of cannons that were ready to be fired off, if needed. From this point, there was much below us and an entire level up to go. We continued on our way and toured the inside: the treasury room, the papal apartments and rooms full of various artifacts...and then we reached the top balcony. OH MY! I have never seen such a view! You could see the entire Vatican City from this view. My mind was flooded with scripture verses about our God, see a few below:
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10)
“Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.” (Psalm 61:3)
I pictured myself there in the most ancient of days. Looking down on the city, that could possibly be under attack and I felt incredibly safe because my perspective was from on high and there was a ready defense in the face of ANY scheme of ANY enemy. Such peace in this place and such rest! I felt physical safe in that place and through God’s word, I can see that He wants me to feel this SAFE and this PROTECTED when I am in Him. I am excited...and maybe you will join me...in doing a word study to see what else God’s word has to say about Him being our refuge. He is already bringing verses to light and now I have a deeper understanding of what it means to take up shelter in the shadow of His wings until the disaster has passed! I’d love you to post some of the verses you find :-)
The Colosseum: I was really looking forward to seeing this part of Rome as I remembered much from my Church History classes in college. I was changed by the information I learned then and I knew that standing in this place was going to be powerful as well! It was intense indeed, also grievous and actually quite somber. We toured around the outer circumference of the Colosseum first, climbing the stairs and reading all the information they had posted. Then we stepped into the center and gazed across the entire view - it was stunning. I stood speechless as I recalled all that has historically happened inside this Colosseum: crowds coming to be entertained by watching people fight to the death, be mauled by animals...all as a social experience. Those waiting to fight (or die) were held in cages below the actual floor and the emperor and wealthy citizens enjoyed the front row seating. Christians were led to this place, like an ox to the slaughter, to be martyred for their faith. And all this happened in the place that we were standing...all of this happened as a way of entertaining a crowd. I am not even sure how to process this and how to reconcile it in my heart...such a stench of death in this place.
Ironically, a black cat randomly appeared perched on a large bolder. The cat disappeared as quickly as it appeared and we have no idea where it went. I’m definitely not the superstitious type...but it was creepy!
A prayer in conclusion: Oh, that the Lord will look on us as a human race, as a people that has been wrong, would He be merciful to us, and forgive us for the blood that is on our hands. I realize that this happened in ancient generations but would He redeem it and raise up a generation that stands for and displays His righteousness instead of inventing and approving such acts of depravity. Amen.
**See the video on my facebook wall, entitled “Colosseum” for actual footage.
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