The Special Needs Ministry of the Franco-Belgian Union
Presents
The Sabbath of the Union 2022
"Looking beyond the appearances."
The magazine "Adventist World" develops
for several years now a communication
strategy in which I recognize myself:
the church I want to belong to.
A huge number of answers are possible.
You can value theological truth,
missionary work or beautiful church buildings.
As for me, the church I want to
belong to strives to be like Jesus Christ
by putting its priority on people.
Again and again, as in Isaiah 43, God declares to us:
"You are so precious in my eyes, so precious, and I love you so much."
So precious that he became flesh like you and me.
This means that Jesus had a cold, got the flu,
had blisters on his feet because of the long distances he walked.
He suffered from headaches or backaches.
All the pains we feel.
He sneezed and snorted.
He had to wipe the sweat from his face and eyes.
He knew hunger and thirst.
He became like us so that we could feel
fully accepted and welcomed by the Father.
Yes, the church I want to belong to follows the example
of Jesus and knows how to identify with the other,
to appreciate and welcome him.
The Ministry for Special Needs is actively involved in building
such a church and brings us this Sabbath of the Union 2022
a message and testimonies that,
I hope, will inspire and drive us to action.
My name is Cédric Youcef-Khodja
I am 40 years old.
I have myopathy.
I am a HR manager and I have been married since 2018.
I have never lived in a religious environment.
But I have always been aware of Jesus in my life
always accompanied by his love.
My confirmation in the faith came about through
God's grace, thanks to meeting my wife.
My faith grew, and we decided to put
our marriage and our lives in God's hands.
I don't think I have any special talent, but through
what I've been through thus far, I try to show that,
despite trials and difficulties,
God's love is so strong that anything is possible.
Hi Simone
Hi Emmanuel.
You are an old-timer in the congregation.
So the members have recognized your faith and your leadership.
How should the Church make sure that everyone is welcome, regardless of their differences?
What I especially miss in the church is that things are printed in large letters.
The songs, for example, that I don't necessarily know.
Or when I'm preaching, for example, I'd
like to have the program in large print.
Or a headset or tie mic to keep my hands free, because
I need my hands to see when I'm reading something.
After all, I have to have the text close enough in mind.
With a fixed microphone that is difficult for me.
Is there anything our church could develop and implement
to help blind and partially sighted people like you?
I think about books. I like to read a lot.
I am a person who loves to read, but I can hardly read.
I can't read the books that come out
because they are not in audio or large print.
That is something that interests me, but will
certainly also interest the visually impaired.
Because we do read a lot of audiobooks.
We often have the habit of reading this way.
You can read a lot, it's really something that can interest a lot.
And besides, I think that audiobooks can be interesting
not only for the blind and visually impaired,
but also for people who want to listen to a book in their car or something.
It's not just for us!
Thank you, Simon.
My name is Linda.
How is my church? Not so good.
I haven't been there for a while.
I wish there was an interpreter to understand
what is happening and what the pastor is saying.
How do you experience your integration in the church?
No, I don't feel integrated.
What I really wish is that deaf people can discuss
and communicate with others about the future,
so that there is a mix between deaf and hearing people.
What do you think the ideal church would look like?
Yes indeed.
My dream is to be able to sing in sign language.
I love that.
I love it a lot, it's my relationship with God.
Does God help you in your daily life?
Yes, but it depends.
Sometimes there are ups and downs, many ups and
downs, disappointments or joys, hesitations.
You would like to make a choice and no other
choice, but you must choose faithfulness.
Do you have a message for the church?
Yes, all of us, Northern and Southern France, we are all connected.
It is important to be in contact with deaf people, get
to know God, relate together, do activities together,
hearing and deaf people together.
It is true that we need interpreters,
but we can be in relationship.
God will give us strength and joy.
Acts 3 verse 1 to 10
One day Peter and John went as usual
about the ninth hour to the temple for noon prayer.
They also had a man who had been
paralyzed birth was brought to the temple;
he was laid there every day at the gate which is called the Beautiful,
to beg from the visitors of the temple.
Peter looked at him, as did John, and said:
"Look at us."
The beggar looked up at them, expecting to get something from them.
But Peter said:
'I have no money, but what I do have, I give you:
in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk.”
He took him by the right hand to help him to his feet.
Instantly, strength came to his feet and ankles.
He jumped up, got up and started walking.
Then he entered the temple with them,
walking and jumping and praising God.
All the temple visitors saw him walking and heard him praise God.
They recognized him as the beggar who had always sat at the temple gate
and were amazed at what had happened to him.
'Seeing the person before the handicap.'
A slogan the French government uses to,
I quote, to intensify the mobilization of
all citizens to bring about profound change
into society's view
of people with disabilities
and a harmonious coexistence.
Seeing man before the handicap.
Taking the time to look at the other
person, going beyond the outward appearance.
This is the title of our 2022 Sabbath of the Union.
See beyond the outward appearance.
Just like Peter and John did in the Bible passage.
Let's watch this episode from Acts 3 from verse 1 together.
The first impression is that it is a miraculous healing.
That is indeed the case, but let me shed
some extra light on the story this morning.
Let's take a quick look at the context.
Jesus has just ascended to heaven and the
disciples have just received the Holy Spirit.
Peter delivered his first great sermon
to the crowd gathered in Jerusalem
and who was amazed to hear the wonders of God in all their tongues.
This was followed by the baptism of 3000 people.
Extraordinary!
The community, the Church, was formed and developed
in a remarkable spirit of brotherhood and openness.
Our story follows these events,
which are spectacular to say the least.
Peter and John, the eldest and youngest of Jesus'
followers, go to the temple around 3:00 pm.
As is their custom, they come to pray, like the others.
The time of the prayer was short, because no sacrifices were made.
Luke, the author of the book of Acts, builds
his story in such a way that it excites us.
Note the movements and the places.
Everything takes place at the temple gate.
Three moves.
Some go in, move, circulate and eventually end up inside.
Others come to drop off a cripple from birth.
This one sits, motionless, by the door.
He cannot and must not enter.
That is forbidden for him.
Reading 2 Samuel 5 verse 8 leads to this prohibition.
“And as for the lame and the blind, I despise them from the bottom of my heart.”
Therefore it is said, The lame and the blind do not enter the house."
Moreover, at that time, illness and disability
were considered a punishment from God, a curse.
And a thousand years later, the ban remained exactly the same.
Rejected by God, cast aside by men, the
seated cripple can only stretch out his hand
to live on alms, charity, pity.
You've heard the lyrics, so you know that at the
end of the story, this paralytic enters the temple.
We'll come back to this later.
Another detail concerns seeing.
The paralytic sees Peter and John.
Perhaps he sensed in them a tendency to generosity.
So he does what he knows how to do, what he's been doing for years.
He asks for an act of compassion and kindness, an alms.
The disciples stop.
Static, like the cripple.
They look at him, turn their gaze to him and invite him to look at them.
They enter into a relationship with him.
This man becomes a person.
To this man, who has had such a limited
existence, these words are "Look at us"
just a confirmation that it exists.
Peter and John see the person before the disability.
You exist, they tell him, in our eyes you exist.
You exist in the eyes of that God whom you cannot approach in the temple.
He observes them and hopes in his heart for a bounty.
There is a difference of understanding because of despondency or resignation perhaps.
After the moment of looking at each other, the moment of speaking follows, and then of doing.
It is at this point that our story turns.
Peter and John have nothing with them, neither gold nor silver.
But they have more...:
hope, grace, goodness and the power of Jesus Christ.
To enable this man to no longer
feel excluded by God or by men,
they will raise him up.
"Get up," they command him.
The verb used means both to rise and to rise again.
Read Matthew 28 verses 6 and 7, Luke 24 verses 6 and 34, which
use the verb rise to describe the resurrection of Christ.
In the temple the faithful pray and the priest blesses them.
For them, inside, everything is business as usual.
But outside, one's life changes.
In the name of Jesus Christ, may he arise, be resurrected.
Since the cross and the tearing of
the veil, the temple was of no use.
As Jesus said to the Samaritan woman:
the hour is coming, now the time has come when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
Praying and worshiping in the temple is all well
and good, but looking after others, caring for them
and bring them new life and resurrection in the name of
Jesus Christ, isn't that the mandate given to the disciples?
In "The Parables of Jesus" Ellen White puts it this way - I quote:
“The last message of mercy brought
to mankind is a revelation of his love.
God's children are called to manifest
His glory in their lives and character,
they must bear witness to what God's grace has done for them."
And Alejandro Bullon, a contemporary Peruvian evangelical
minister, adds in his book "Total Engagement":
"When you approach people, talk about what interests
them, not about what is important and true to you."
Get up and walk!
A commandment and a covenant, both for the cripple and for the apostles.
From this word, everything in our story changes.
Everything accelerates, gains momentum,
the gesture accompanies the word.
Peter takes him by the hand.
The timing of the gesture reveals the total involvement of the disciples.
It's not about saying a nice word
and leaving, it's about guiding them.
And then the miracle happens right away.
Note the sequence of events that Luke relates:
feet and ankles become firm, with a jump
he stands on his feet, he begins to walk.
But pause for a moment...
At that point, this cripple has three concrete options.
For starters, he can sit down again, as usual.
Why change when you're forty?
He has been asking for alms at the temple door for too long, and besides, it works.
This is the first option: he is healed, has
a new life, but prefers to remain as before.
He can also take advantage of this gift to walk away and enjoy life.
He missed so many good, fun moments.
He still has so much to catch up on that he
can't stay on those steps for a moment longer.
So he runs to a life far from the temple.
This is the second option : he is healed, has
a new life and prefers to take care of himself
and enjoy the pleasures of a self-centered existence.
Or, third, the risen one feels the need to thank him -
and the word is weak which
has just given him all his love,
presence and benevolence.
He feels welcomed by his God and
can finally enter into his presence.
Back to our story.
"He got up and started walking.
He entered the temple with them and ran and jumped and praised God."
Awesome.
Extraordinary! Wow!
You would say.
This paralytic, who was placed every day at the door
of the temple, can finally walk in on his own two feet.
His happiness is complete.
He shows it in full.
He experiences the eschatological prophecy of Isaiah in chapter 35 from verse 3:
“Give strength to trembling hands, strengthen trembling knees.
Say to the despondent people:
“Be strong and do not fear, for your God is coming with his vengeance.
God's retribution will come, He Himself will deliver you.”
Then the eyes of the blind are opened, the ears of the deaf are opened.
The paralyzed shall leap like deer,
the mouth of the dumb shall shout."
Just imagine the reaction of the assembled community.
Lucas remains moderate, soft: "People see him".
A little humor from Lucas.
In the old days, when the crowd was moving
and the cripple sat down, who saw him?
Who was watching him?
That changes!
On the other hand, it is also difficult to react differently.
The people are filled with emotion and amazement at what has happened to him.
The rest of the story shows the many consequences of
this situation, including the arrest of Peter and John.
But back to our man whose name we don't know.
He jumps up and down and praises God in the temple.
How did the authorities, the predecessors, react?
How would we respond to this intrusion during the liturgy today?
How do you assess such a failure?
I dare not imagine it.
But we all know that silence would be requested.
And with some delicacy this man would be requested
to let his exultation resound outside the chapel.
The worship should proceed with due calm and modesty.
As a Swiss theologian writes, the Gospel
for Luke carries an inclusive message,
a promise of a future open to all men and women.
Peter's look and gesture lift the distance between him and
the handicapped man and symbolize the welcome God offers him.
God welcomes, but man often excludes.
Sometimes voluntarily, for good reasons, but very
often involuntarily, just so as not to be disturbed,
or not to change inherited and entrenched habits.
God welcomes and participates fully in the joy of the
men and women who come to witness their deliverance.
Resurrected men and women who come to
worship him from the depths of their being.
God welcomes the healthy as well as the invalid.
Today there is no longer a need for physical and psychological healing.
Jesus showed that illnesses or abnormalities are not divine punishments.
It is only the consequences of this world that
continues to be marked by sin, destruction and death.
In the Gospels, disability even becomes the occasion for
the personal encounter between the paralytic and Jesus.
And if not all are healed physically or psychologically, yet all
receive reconciliation with God, forgiveness, and eternal life.
If they accept it.
The Ethiopian Eunuch banned from the temple is baptized -
Acts 8:38 - thus sealing his covenant with his God.
One of the Union's values ​​is an
unconditional welcome, a welcome from everyone,
whatever its condition, a welcome that goes beyond appearances,
a welcome that goes beyond strict compliance with the law.
Our churches are normally all
accessible to people with reduced mobility,
at least in France.
The law of 11 February 2005 prescribes this.
Belgium and Luxembourg have directives to the same effect.
Someone with motor disabilities, with a mental or psychological disability,
with hearing or vision problems, or someone who is small,
obese, clumsy, or abnormal should feel welcome in church.
An unconditional welcome.
The booklet that has been distributed gives you some tips for integration.
Indeed, God involves everyone, even apart from the reception.
But too many people stop at the door.
Too many people are invisible because they are different.
What space do we offer to all those who are not like us, like me.
The Ministry of Special Needs was established in the
Adventist Church to help each congregation integrate everyone
That takes effort.
It requires a change of mind, a change of organization, but
it's worth it, because God welcomes everyone just as he is,
into what he is.
Not only does God welcome them, but God also equips them.
God needs him or her, as He needs all of us.
It is possible.
Of course specific facilities are needed,
but first a friendly look at the neighbor,
a look like that of
Christ, a look of concern,
a change of attitude,
of our attitude - it is possible.
Together we can offer hope to all who feel excluded from their environment.
Together, bearers of hope,
because we are ready to be touched
by the person to whom Jesus gave birth.
Together, bearers of hope, because we are
willing to look beyond the outward appearance,
determined to take by the hand the one God puts on my, on our way.
Indeed, as Reverend and Professor Dietrich Bonhoeffer said:
"The church is only really church if it exists for those who do not belong to it."
Together it is possible.
Together, bearers of hope.
Let's look beyond the looks together
and welcome everyone in their differentness and in what they bring to the Church.
Amen.
The Lord turns to you and says:
"Go with the strength you have! Didn't I send you? I'll be with you."
Yes, this power has been given to you by Him who
creates life and sets the sun and stars in motion.
So lay the stone, God will build the house.
Sow the seed, God will make it grow.
Take care of the wounded, God will heal them.
Welcome the others, God will make us a family.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the
Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all,
the Church of God on this earth.
One of the actions we most liked to organize was the meetings, the
international gatherings where deaf believers from different countries
could meet in the same place to experience moments
of reflection, exchange, time and conviviality.
This way we could see that it is
very motivating for deaf people who
usually feel very isolated in their community.
And there they finally realized that they are not alone.
Other actions with a different set-up were the national gatherings,
much more a cocooning version to nurture the faith a bit,
to encourage on certain issues, sometimes of suffering.
And we were happy to have deaf people who don't necessarily
go to church, but who were happy to participate in this way.
Due to the lockdown, we had to adjust our other ways of doing things.
We organize various spiritual moments, study times
per zoom, joint Sabbath opening, always remotely.
In this way, despite the distance, we maintain a
bond with each other through technological means.
For more information in French: adventiste.org/besoins-specifiques