Pastor John Van Sloten

Last night, after Prime Minister Stephen Harper won the Canadian election, as my wife and I were praying our evening prayers, I was kind of surprised by what I prayed, I said, “And God, I hope this is good for Canada… and good for your church.”  Not that I don’t regularly pray for our country, or for the church, but the juxtaposition of the two is what struck me. 

How exactly are the two tied together?  Does who is in government impact the efficacy of the church?  If God holds all of history, then surely what’s happening now is happening for some kind of providential reason.  What does that reason mean for God’s kingdom work here in Canada? 

A couple of years ago a friend invited me to her back yard BBQ.  Her friend Stephen Harper would be there.  It was a fun experience, RCMP everywhere, politicos and the press all hobnobbing, but the best part for me was the short conversation I had with the Prime Minister.  After telling him about about my job, and asking him a few questions, his handler let him know that he had to move on.  As we shook hands we both said the exact same words to each other, over top of each other, “God bless you in your work.”  It made me smile; both of us ministers in different fields.

This morning I woke up praying for a friend who’s dealing with a serious health concern in a hospital right now.  Normally when I pray it feels like I’m having a conversation with God, asking him to intercede, and God is in some undefined ‘third place’ relative to the person I’m praying for (heaven or something).  This time it was different.  As I prayed it felt as though Jesus was right there with her, even as he was right there with me…  in both places at the same time.  As I’m very intimately asking him to help my friend out, he’s already right beside her, holding her life, intimately present to her condition.   It was beautiful.  And as I thought about it, it made perfect sense.  This is how the idea of an everywhere God speaking and moving through everything works in the area of prayer. 

The other day I was reading the story of the Roman Centurian who came to Jesus asking him to heal his paralyzed servant.  When Jesus says he’ll do it and offers to come to the soldier’s house, the soldier says, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”   Jesus was astonished at his response saying,  ”Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”   The Centurian’s faith enabled him to see that, of course, God is present to everything, all at the same time.

On Sunday I baptized a little girl who was born at 27 weeks.  During the first few months of her life things were touch and go.  Will she make it?  60-80% survival rate.  Will her lungs be okay? Her eyes and ears?  Her heart?  To date  she’s made it through amazingly well.  Thank God for that.   Her mom, on the other hand is still recovering.  Alongside everything it meant to be a pre-mee mom, she was also saddled with the job of saving a small family owned company (hers).   What stress.   You wish you could do something to help.

Enter Edward and I for a pre-baptism meeting at their house last week.  (I brought Eddy because this new mom used to take him out every Wednesday night to go to the library or park or shopping.)   So there we are visiting and I hear the long version of the stress story they’ve been living for the past 6 months…  I could see the lingering strain in the mom’s eyes, and near the end of our visit I asked if I could say a prayer for them.

Then, just as I’m about to pray, Edward cuts in; , “Me first?”  It was an odd request from a kid who has stubbornly refused to pray at our family meals for years.  I told him, “Sure.”   And he did, in a very quiet whisper, that all of us had to lean in to hear.  “It’s his regular bedtime prayer,” I realized, “That long list of family, friends, dead bird pets, and teachers that he prays for every night.”   After Edward said Amen, I took over and finished the prayer.   After that the mom turned to me and said, “I heard him say Amber (her daughter’s name)”   He did.  He’s been praying for the whole family for months. 

For a few seconds we all just sat there; reeling from the shock of Edward even daring to do this.  And then when I recognize how important it was to this mom to have her Down syndrome friend pray for her baby…  I was floored.  It was so beautiful.   I was in tears.  

I am more convinced now than ever that God leans in close to hear the prayers of the disabled.

Often when I officiate a marriage I’ll open with a prayer asking God to make himself known to the soon-to-be-wedded couple; to show them that they really are saying their vows ‘before him and all these people.’ Seems that God sometimes answers that prayer in strange ways; in we-can’t-seem-to-get-our-Down-Syndrome-son-off-the-dance-floor kinds of ways…

Normally Edward doesn’t come to the weddings I do. This time he had to – in order to allow my wife Fran to attend (the bride insisted that both of them come). We were both worried that having him there would be burdensome (for him and us). I think Fran would have much preferred to stay home. But she came.

Fifteen minutes after the ceremony ended – as we both wondered how long Edward would hold up – a young woman came over and asked if she could talk to Eddy. She used to be a caregiver for another disabled child (who had recently died). Within minutes she and Edward were jumping on a nearby trampoline (it was a backyard service); she in a summer dress and Eddy in shorts.

An hour later another woman introduced herself. She used to work with disabled kids. She had a great visit with Edward. During dinner, still another young woman came over and asked Edward if he’s be interested in a dance later on. She worked with siblings of disabled individuals. Edward accepted.

Boy did he accept. At one point during the evening, after dancing with the bride, Edward was dancing with 4 girls (at once). When it came time to leave, we had to drag him off the dance floor.

What a gift that evening was for us. As parents of a special needs child you often wonder about your son’s relational future. Will he have real friends? A special friend? Real relationships? Will he ever go to a dance and really want to be danced with?

The answer to that last question – evidently – is a resounding ‘Yes!’ Before leaving that night, one of the young girls (connected to the child who died) asked if she could maybe take Edward out once in a while (to the movies, respite care type stuff). We were thrilled at her offer. A few days ago she made contact, seeking to follow up.

This brought tears to our eyes.

For a couple struggling with how to find that kind of care for their boy, she was truly an answer to prayer.