“From Glory to Reality”

By Benuel Lapp

From the moment we set foot into Sembradores Church, I could feel a strong sense of unity and the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit. The worship was absolutely genuine, although a little hard to put into words (because, well, most of it was in Spanish). Pastor Fernando Sr. followed with a stirring message (which thankfully was translated) which he titled “From Glory to Reality.” Taking his text from Mark 9:14-29, he walked the congregation through the story of Jesus casting an evil spirit out of a boy whom his disciples had previously tried to heal and failed. Jesus had just come down off of Mount Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-13) and was now suddenly presented with a boy who was possessed with an evil spirit and had been brought by his father to be healed by Him. Jesus had come from a moment of “Glory” to an abrupt moment of “Reality.”  Based on this passage, Pastor Fernando proceeded to illustrate the responsibility of parenthood, the dangers of making technology our reality, and how like the disciples, we are weak and incapable and have fallen short of the glory of God. And while every point that was made hit home in some way, it was the simple concept of “From Glory to Reality” that stuck with me for rest of the day.

Although it was a more relaxed day, there was certainly an overload of emotions weighing heavy and fresh in my mind. And yet, at the same time, there seemed to be a sort of surreal daze surrounding the day’s events. There were the feelings of fellowship and community during the service and in the team lunch that followed. There were feelings of compassion and sorrow as we were shown around a new Community Center organized by Clubhouse to care for and educate kids and teens who either could not continue school or lived in abusive situations. There were feelings of astonishment and pity as we witness the many tin shacks built into the sides of a deep ravine where the poorest of the poor call home. There was more compassion, and even a little hope and expectation as we grouped for prayer in Bethania, taking in the surroundings that we will be working in during the next week. And finally, there were feelings of guilt and anger as we stopped to visit a massive, three-floor mall right outside of Bethania.

Walking through the doors of the mall, I began to see the phrase “From Glory to Reality” in an entirely new light and in the opposite order. We had just come from Bethania, literally a few miles away with its rundown homes and filthy streets, and were now standing in the epitome of American commercialism. The comparison was staggering. On one hand, there are thousands upon thousands of impoverished Guatemalans barely scraping by but making the best of what they do have. After all, its all they know. This is their reality. The poverty, the broken families, the gangs, the violence, the rape and abuse – All of it 100 percent real. It exists. We hear about it on the news or from others who have seen it, but its not the same. Until you see it with your own eyes, its impossible to understand completely. Because, on the other side, we come from our blissful state of economic “glory” in America, used to having whatever we need at our fingertips. We embrace materialism, often without realizing it, and thinking we deserve every bit of it. We are simply so used to our American standard of living that when we hear of poverty and pain in the world, it becomes difficult to identify with it, much less care about it.

The problem is, while we’re so infatuated with our material blessings, making unintended idols out of various “things,” we so easily loose sight of the big picture – the things that truly have meaning and value in life. We create our own world of technology, stuff, and progress. But the truth is, its all fake. Just like the massive posters and ads of seemingly content white people in the mall. Just like the many famous American brands (that you can find in Guatemala too). Just like the gazillion different items that line the shelves of our favorite stores. Its what I would like to call, a form of “pseudo-glory” that convinces us to overlook truth and distracts us from reality so that we miss what’s really important.

As we journeyed back to the mission house on the bus and I began to process all I had seen so far, reality slowly started to sink in. The fog lifted. It became real and hit me all at once. The emotions spilled out as I stood on the veranda, crying, asking God to forgive my pride. Now, as I sit on the same veranda processing these things, watching the many lights of the city at night and feeling the gentle breeze, I cannot thank God enough for bringing me here and opening my eyes.

COLOSSIANS 2:20-23 – “Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—  “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men?  These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.”