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“My Lord, my Savior,” Maggie whispered to herself. A prayer arose in her heart. She knew that she would rather promote her Redeemer than a resort. Not all Christians were called to work in a church. However, Magdalene Grace Jacobs was.
She was also certain about another thing: God had gifted her with an organizational skill that she had used in the women’s ministry. That ministry had now expanded to encourage Christian women everywhere, locally and abroad. The empty event coordinator seat had to be filled.
To be sure, God could take care of any ministry without Maggie’s help. God did not need Maggie. However, God had invited Maggie to join Him in the kingdom work to minister to women of all ages, mothers and daughters, grandmothers and granddaughters. It would be her loss if she said no.
“Matthew 1:21 is an oft-quoted Christmas verse that reminds us that we can start over with Christ.” Pastor Kim put his hand on his Bible. “Christmas reminds us why Jesus came. We have a sin problem, and God has a Savior solution. His name is Jesus, and ‘He will save His people from their sins.’ He has saved me from my sins. What about you?”
Yes, Maggie had also accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior for the remission of her sins and the gift of eternal life. She knew that Levi was also a believer, like she was. He had taken a largepay cut to work at the church warehouse because he, too, wanted to serve God. However, his calling was different from Maggie’s. When his cousin offered him a job at Christmastown, he could also serve God there in the Christian company. Therein was the difference between their callings.
No two callings were exactly alike. If God called Levi to leave the church warehouse and go work at Christmastown, then he should go. If God called Maggie to stay put at Midtown Chapel, then she should stay. No matter what her feelings were, she had to “stick to it,” as Pastor Kim said.
I get it now.
“If you’re stuck in a pothole, or the wrong road, or dead ends, the three points I gave you will not work if you do not have Jesus. Read Matthew 1:22-23 with me, and we’ll be done.” Pastor Kim read the verse aloud.
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
“I can preach a whole sermon on this one verse alone, but tonight I want you to see that Jesus is also called Immanuel. This name of Jesus means ‘God with us.’ That is, God is with you if you have Jesus. If God is with you, you can climb mountains, overcome Goliaths, have a fulfilling purpose, and live a life of peace, especially peace with God.”
Pastor Kim closed his Bible. “Wandering down the wrong road? Come home to Christ. Hit a dead end where it’s all a pit of despair? Look to Jesus, your lifesaver. Let’s pray.”
Maggie closed her eyes and listened to what she had expected to be a short prayer.
“Thank You, Heavenly Father, for sending Your only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to come down to earth to save us from our sins. We chose this time of the year to commemorate His earthly birth, but let us not forget why He came at all: to save us from our sins. Thank You for this Christmas season. May it always be Christmas in our hearts as we sing with joy that ‘the Lord has come.’ In the precious name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.”
When Pastor Kim finished praying, Maggie opened her eyes. The choir and orchestra had returned to their places on the platform, all dressed in Christmas colors.
“If you’re visiting our church, I invite you back on Resurrection Sunday in the spring. We will talk some more about what happened when Jesus Christ went to the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day.” On that note, Pastor Kim stepped off the platform.
Maggie knew what was coming and she grabbed Levi’s arm.
“My favorite moment!” Maggie whispered in his ear. She wanted to say more, but the orchestra was about to begin. She had enjoyed this every Christmas. If Midtown Chapel stopped singing this oratorio, she would go downtown to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to hear it.
“I know,” he whispered back.
That told Maggie that he remembered last Christmas, or even the two other Christmases before that.
They smiled at each other as the music director led the choir and orchestra in an uplifting rendition of George Frideric Handel’sMessiahoratorio.
As the pipe organ reverberated in the sanctuary, the “Hallelujah” chorus broke out, and everyone stood up to sing along. When it was over, they cheered and clapped.
Maggie sat down again to put away her pen in her purse, and the Bible and notebook in her tote bag.
Silently, her heart began to pray.
Forgive me, Lord, for I have strayed. In my attempt to solve my problems myself, I walked by my own feelings and not by faith in You. I started to take the road not meant for me, toward endless detours ahead of me. Thank You for stepping in just in time to rescue me before I hit a dead end. You put me back on the right path. Protect my calling, Lord. Preserve my soul. Teach me to walk by faith in You from now on for the rest of my life. In Your holy name, I pray. Amen.
Yes, Midtown Chapel was the church she wanted to attend. The women’s event coordinator position was the job she wanted to do. And Levi Theroux sitting next to her was the person she wanted to be with.
All three elements of her life right now were here in Atlanta.
Maggie felt that God had cleared the air for her. Oh, so many things had happened this month. She’d have to take some time to properly praise God for all the good things He had done for her or brought her way or shown her.
She knew she had to eat the humble pie and call Colette on Monday to apologize for changing her mind about moving to Florida. Being a Christian herself, Colette would surely understand that God’s ways were always above human ways, as it was written in Isaiah 55:9 that she and Levi had discussed a few days ago.
In fact, there was no reason Lakeside Resort couldn’t host some of the regional women’s events that she would be organizing with Mrs. Kim for Midtown Chapel, not just for Midtown Moms but for the women’s ministry as a whole. It would open the doors to using Lakeside Resort as the retreat center of choice, especially in the winter season. The possibilities were endless. That would probably make her resignation easier for Colette to bear if she knew that repeated business was coming her way.
Maggie would have to find Mrs. Kim and talk to her about adding a new retreat location to their site rotation.
