Central Abbotsford

I am going to start this newsletter by giving you two quotes. One is ancient, one is recent. One comes from an esteemed scholar and statesman, the other comes from an anonymous individual right here at Northview. The first quote has been borrowed and repurposed thousands of times over, and the second might well evaporate in the ether by next week. 

And then I’m going to suggest that both quotes apply to a situation involving a monkey stuffie.

Quote #1

One of the most famous quotes by the eminent Dutch theologian (and prime minister) Abraham Kuyper is from his 1880 address to the Free University in Amsterdam, where he said “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’”

Quote #2

Those of you who heard Pastor Mark’s sermon from this past week will have remembered one of his closing illustrations regarding the spiritual gift of healing. He told the story (with permission) of a Northview attender who had suffered a running injury that was not responding to treatment. Although she ultimately sought prayer from the elders of the church pursuant to the instructions in James 5 (and experienced healing!), she confessed that at first, she “was apprehensive about bringing such a seemingly trivial and inconsequential request, knowing that there are needs that are so much weightier.”

Tying the Quotes Together

The sovereignty of God, as vividly described in the Kuyper quote, is captivating because it covers the grandeur of His creation – the reality that He made the mountains, laid the stars and planets in their places, and rules over presidents and kings. But it is equally enthralling because of the intricacy of His care and attention – just as He knit each of our inmost parts together in the womb, so He controls the details of the snowflake’s angles and crystals, all the way down to the atomic structure and beneath.

All this to say: His sovereignty extends from the grand and majestic all the way down to the seemingly trivial. Although our human instincts may tell us that there are certain matters too small, too insignificant, to bring before the Lord in prayer, His sovereignty tells us otherwise. In earthly terms, some aspects of creation will be more consequential than others – that is to be sure. However, to suggest that something is beneath God’s care is to impugn His sovereignty – may it never be!

The Mimi Connection

With all this as backdrop, there are times when the seemingly small things collide with the great things in life. This brings us to the plight of a stuffed monkey toy named Mimi. 

What is Mimi? Mimi contains multitudes. 

Mimi is, in terms of physical components, fabric and batting sewn together in the semblance of a small primate. Especially for those parents among us, those whose houses are replete with dozens of such creatures, Mimi may easily have blended into the scenery of a Saturday night at church, among the dozens of small and smaller feet stampeding through the gym and foyer at increasingly concerning rates of speed.

Mimi is a gift – presumably one given among many in commemoration of the birth of a child. As such gifts go, I know from experience that although many are given, only a select few go on to become cherished. As providence would have it, Mimi earned that honour. 

As a result, and most importantly, Mimi is the beloved possession of one of Central Abbotsford’s toddlers. More to the point, Mimi is the beloved possession of one of Central Abbotsford’s toddlers and Mimi went missing at church last weekend. A search party was established among those remaining on site long after the gathering had scattered, but their rescue mission is, so far, unfulfilled.

And so, we are faced with God’s sovereignty over the big and the little things, or, in the case of Mimi, a little thing that is very, VERY, big, at least in the eyes of one. In light of that, I am inviting you, the members of the body of Christ who gather at the Central Abbotsford site of Northview Community Church, to pray that Mimi will be reunited with his rightful owner.

Pray for a missing toy monkey? Why bring “a seemingly trivial and inconsequential request” before the God of the Universe when there are much greater things for Him to be concerned with? Because He is a God who cares about the little things. The same God who Paul instructs in Philippians 4:6 to “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Yes, of course, if we examined our prayer lives, we would probably all agree that our prayers are more marked by supplication than thanksgiving or adoration. I am far too self-centered in prayer; too focused on my own needs, real or perceived. But this is not an indictment of our praying for insignificant things, it is an indictment of our not praying for “everything”. 

So, church family, I again invite you to pray for everything – big and small. A life fully and wholly given to Jesus is a life that is in constant communication with God. And pray that Mimi will be found!

See you Saturday,

Eric