We received a very interesting e-mail this week from someone in the community who was bothered by our Face Your Fears yard signs. Positive feedback to our yard signs has outnumbered negative comments 10 to 1. I have tried to respond personally and graciously to anyone who contacted us, whether they were complimenting us or expressing a concern. The e-mail we received yesterday was unique to any others that have come our way. It was a very lengthy e-mail. It seemed obvious to me that the person who wrote and sent it has some serious baggage from past spiritual and church experiences that were no doubt negative. But as part of the e-mail, the person wrote this:
“I don't know what kind of God you worship and I don't care but the God I serve and love is an all loving God and mother Azna and Jesus and they are beside us and love us through anything, every mistake we make, every trial we learn from.”
I have to be honest. I have heard of God and I have heard of Jesus but I had never heard of Mother Azna. Neither had Pastor Tim. So we did a quick google search and a quick self-education on what this deity was all about. Here is what we discovered.
“Azna” is the sacred name the Divine feminine is known by on the other side. She is channeled through a woman who wrote a book and has an advice column in which Mother Azna answers questions submitted to her by this woman. This woman shares that she has been given a love song to Mother Azna that if someone will sing for 5 days in a row, they can be assured that Mother Azna will answer their petition. She further tells that after 5 days of singing this love song to Mother Azna, you will know that your request is going to be answered because you will be given a sign which will be in the form of either a flower, a bee, or a frog.
As I read this e-mail we received here at the church and the information I found on line regarding Mother Azna, I was reminded of the story in the book of Acts where Paul goes to Mars Hill and stands with the many philosophers who loved to debate and hear of all deities and religions. There they had statutes built to all of the gods. And in case they missed one, they even had a statute erected to “The Unknown God.” Paul used this statute as a foundation to preach to them the truth about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I was reminded through this recent e-mail encounter that there is a Mars Hill everywhere – even in Lititz, PA. The god of this world has blinded the hearts and spirits of many. Spiritual deception is real and it is all around us. People are lost – yes, even in Lititz. That is why we must take seriously our purpose as a church which is to meet as many people as possible right where they are and help move them to where God wants them to be.
So how did I respond to this e-mail? I replied thanking them for taking the time to write and send their e-mail. I told them that I had never heard of Azna and enjoyed educating myself on this a bit through the internet. I then asked them to consider watching the first two messages of our Face Your Fears series on line and then responding to me with their thoughts and feedback.
“I don't know what kind of God you worship and I don't care but the God I serve and love is an all loving God and mother Azna and Jesus and they are beside us and love us through anything, every mistake we make, every trial we learn from.”
I have to be honest. I have heard of God and I have heard of Jesus but I had never heard of Mother Azna. Neither had Pastor Tim. So we did a quick google search and a quick self-education on what this deity was all about. Here is what we discovered.
“Azna” is the sacred name the Divine feminine is known by on the other side. She is channeled through a woman who wrote a book and has an advice column in which Mother Azna answers questions submitted to her by this woman. This woman shares that she has been given a love song to Mother Azna that if someone will sing for 5 days in a row, they can be assured that Mother Azna will answer their petition. She further tells that after 5 days of singing this love song to Mother Azna, you will know that your request is going to be answered because you will be given a sign which will be in the form of either a flower, a bee, or a frog.
As I read this e-mail we received here at the church and the information I found on line regarding Mother Azna, I was reminded of the story in the book of Acts where Paul goes to Mars Hill and stands with the many philosophers who loved to debate and hear of all deities and religions. There they had statutes built to all of the gods. And in case they missed one, they even had a statute erected to “The Unknown God.” Paul used this statute as a foundation to preach to them the truth about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I was reminded through this recent e-mail encounter that there is a Mars Hill everywhere – even in Lititz, PA. The god of this world has blinded the hearts and spirits of many. Spiritual deception is real and it is all around us. People are lost – yes, even in Lititz. That is why we must take seriously our purpose as a church which is to meet as many people as possible right where they are and help move them to where God wants them to be.
So how did I respond to this e-mail? I replied thanking them for taking the time to write and send their e-mail. I told them that I had never heard of Azna and enjoyed educating myself on this a bit through the internet. I then asked them to consider watching the first two messages of our Face Your Fears series on line and then responding to me with their thoughts and feedback.
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