People were CELEBRATING when it was announced that BARACK OBAMA became our President. Whether you voted for him or not, it’s a very Significant Event to now have the FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT. People were talking about it at Target…LA Fitness…Grocery Store…everywhere!!

But you can’t fully appreciate this event unless you see its HISTORICAL CONTEXT. Unless you know the STORY within the African-American Community…this JOURNEY that many MINORITY groups have had to endure…you can never appreciate the WEIGHT of this ELECTION. Unless you consider the Slave Trade…Racial Segregation…and the current Racism and the continuous battle to CHANGE this, you can’t appreciate how significant this event is.

Similarly, you can’t fully appreciate the things that Susan & Gene did in Uganda unless you understand its HISTORICAL CONTEXT. You can’t appreciate how amazing it is when people work to build the Kingdom of God, unless you see the JOURENY of God throughout history. We need to know the DIVINE STORY of God. The STORY of GOD REDEEMING this world.

In the beginning God Created the world and it was PERFECT. 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

People had DIRECT ACCESS to God. Man had NO SHAME and saw himself as GOD SAW him. SOCIETY LOVED each other and SERVED the purpose of GOD in UNITY. The LAND was PLENTIFUL and SERVED man rather than hurting man.

The perfection was COMPREHENSIVE. God saw ALL that he made and it was VERY GOOD…NOT just MAN. But also the CREATED WORLD…the SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP between Adam & Eve…the WORK they were involved with…and MOST OF ALL the COMMUNION he had with MAN. ALL of this was VERY GOOD…brought him PLEASURE… GLORIFIED and HONORED him.

Eric Mason, last Sunday, talked about SHALOM. He said, “Shalom is what it would look like if this world was under the Feet of Jesus.” Shalom is the PERFECTION…WHOLENESS that existed at Creation. Shalom is what existed when God looked out at creation and said that it was Very Good.

But the STORY changed in ch. 3. Sin & Brokenness entered the world.

And it’s from this TRAGIC MOMENT that God begins his work of REDEMPTION…of FIXING this Brokenness. And one day it will all be made perfect when CHRIST RETURNS. The HISTORY of GOD is a story of CREATION…FALL… REDEMPTION…& one day CONSUMMATION.

The MEANS by which God brings redemption…brings SHALOM is the GOSPEL. Through the Life and Death of Jesus Christ the effects of the Fall are being reversed. Through Christ’s death on the Cross the spiritual brokenness that separated us from God was now reversed. Through Christ’s life we see his ministry of redeeming and healing those who were blind and lame and sick. He was reversing the effects of physical brokenness. The GOSPEL is the means by which shalom is brought back to the world.

When I think about the people Susan & Gene ministered to, you really see all 4 forms of brokenness played out. Most do not know the Lord and are thus spiritually broken. Their view of themselves is of Shame and Fear and Embarrassment. Society has Cast them off and treat them as Untouchables…Cursed. All of this because of Physical brokenness. Because of a Physical Defect or Disease they are separated from society.

But what excites me is to see what the GOSPEL was able to do through Susan & Gene to bring SHALOM. I was able to see the Power of the Gospel that was reversing the effects of the brokenness.

That trip I saw a HAZY GLIMPSE of what CREATION was like!!!!! Whenever we do the WORK OF GOD and BRING SHALOM…SPIRITUALLY, PSYCHOLOGICALLY, SOCIALLY, and PHYSICALLY…we are seeing a HAZY GLIMPSE of what CREATION was like when God looked out and said it was very good.

There was an interview of an elderly Black Man sharing about how he would have to watch Movies from the BALCONY or drink water from a separate Fountain when he was growing up in Philadelphia. When you think about the JOURNEY…the STORY…he EXPERIENCED of dealing with RACISM, you realize what a POWERFUL & AMAZING experience it was for him to see a BLACK MAN as the new President.

BUT even more…when you think about the JOURNEY…the STORY GOD has been on of REDEEMING the brokenness that came about because of the FALL, then you realize what an AMAZING thing it is when HIS PEOPLE strive to bring SHALOM to this BROKEN WORLD.

The first step is…as Eric Mason said on FRIDAY is to understand the Gospel OURSELVES first. Are we being transformed by this amazing reality in our own lives? Are we learning to live by faith? You cannot heal brokenness out there until you are first broken.

The second step is…to Discover how God has designed you to UNIQUELY be a part of bringing about Shalom.

Gene didn’t share this in his testimony but he has a PhD in virology. And yet for a long time he struggled with whether God could use this. He felt this so much so that he considered pursuing med school because God could definitely use a doctor. When he went to Uganda it initially was even more deflating to see how mundane many of his responsibilities were as a clinician. But then this teaching opportunity came up…something that was totally unplanned. And he was the ONLY person who could do what he did. What an amazing confirmation that God can use anything to bring shalom. He can use any gift to help him build his Kingdom.

The New Orleans team was telling me of a great idea to give family portraits to people as gifts. It’s interesting but the ONE thing that many people regret losing that is impossible to retrieve again are PICTURES! Music you can re-buy. Files you can re-type. But pictures are impossible to recapture after that moment has passed. Your children will never be that age again. That even won’t happen again. So when Katrina hit, one of the greatest losses were family portraits. So one of the team members who like photography is going to take pictures and then develop them there and give them as gifts to families. What an amazing idea!! This is bringing shalom. People are experiencing Christ and are drawn to him. People are seeing that they are not forgotten by others but loved. People are seeing a society redeemed where strangers are serving rather than taking.

I see a TREASURE TROVE of GIFTS & TALENTS that could be TAPPED INTO and USED for the bringing of SHALOM to this BROKEN WORLD!!!!!!!!