San Francisco has its cable cars. Seattle has its Space Needle, and Longview, Washington, has its squirrel bridge. It’s called The Nutty Narrows Bridge, which spans Olympia Way and is a local landmark.
A local builder, the late Amos Peters, built The Nutty Narrows Bridge in 1963. He wanted to give squirrels a way to cross the busy street without getting flattened by cars. You see, office staff from the Park Plaza building were feeding the squirrels nuts, and they witnessed squirrels being run over many times as they tried to dodge traffic to and from the Park Plaza building. Once the bridge was built, it didn't take long before squirrels started using it. Now, they even escort their young across the bridge, teaching them the ropes. Since then, at least five additional squirrel bridges have been built (City of Longview website, (www.mylongview. com/400/Nutty-Narrows-Bridge; www.PreachingToday.com)
On the busy roads of life, sometimes you long for a safer way. People are looking for a place of refuge in a day and age when they are more and more afraid.
Recently, I came across a very interesting study about the places where children feel safe to play. The study began in 1975, when Roger Hart focused on 86 children between the ages of 3 and 12 in a small town in Vermont. He followed them throughout the day, documenting everywhere the children went by themselves. He then took that information and made physical maps that measured the distance each child was allowed to go by themselves and what the average was for every age group.
Hart discovered that those kids had remarkable freedom. Even 4- or 5-year-olds, traveled unsupervised throughout their neighborhoods; and by the time they were 10, most of the kids had the run of the entire town. The kids' parents did not worry about them either.
Then nearly 40 years later (about 2014), Hart went back to the same town to document the children of the children that he had originally tracked in the '70s. When he asked the new generation of kids to show him where they played alone, what he found floored him. Hart said, “They just didn't have very far to take me, just walking around their property.” In other words, the huge circle of freedom on the maps had grown tiny.
Hart added, “There is no free-range outdoors. Even when the kids are older, parents now say, ‘I need to know where you are at all times.’” This is despite the fact that the town is no more dangerous than it was before. There's literally no more crime today than there was 40 years ago.
So why has the invisible leash between parent and child tightened so much? Hart says it was absolutely clear from his interviews. The reason was fear. He concluded: fear of the world outside our door narrows the circle of our lives (NPR, “World with No Fear,” Invisibilia podcast, 1-15-15; www.Preaching Today.com)
So what do you do with that fear? How do you find refuge in a time when you’re afraid? How do you find that place of safety? How do you find protection when you feel like you’re running for your life sometimes? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Joshua 20, Joshua 20, where we have an ancient concept that might give us some ideas for dealing with fear today.
Joshua 20:1-3 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood – i.e., the family protector. (ESV)
His job was to protect his family from those who would harm them in any way. If a debt collector forced a family member into slavery or foreclosed on family property, the family protector bought the family member out of slavery and/or purchased the property back for the family. If someone killed a family member, the family protector would avenge that murder by killing the murderer, insuring that the murderer didn’t kill again.
However, the Mosaic Law provided a place of refuge for the one who kills “without intent,” i.e., accidentally. Perhaps, his ax head flew off the handle and struck someone on the head, killing that person. In the case of involuntary manslaughter, the manslayer could run to a city of refuge and find protection from “the avenger of blood,” or the family protector, who was coming after him.
Joshua 20:4-6 He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city [no doubt breathlessly]. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them. And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past. And he shall remain in that city until he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.’” (ESV)
The elders of the city of refuge protect the manslayer from the avenger of blood until the manslayer can stand trial. Now, the manslayer has already had a preliminary hearing before the elders, but he awaits the trial “before the congregation.” Then at the trial, if the manslayer is found innocent of pre-meditated murder, he goes back to the city of refuge until the death of the high priest, at which time he can return home. He’s confined, but he’s safe, and even the confinement has a limit. It’s only until the death of the high priest.
Here’s the amazing thing! The New Testament applies every element of this story to Jesus Christ. 1st, He is our “Family Protector,” the one who bought us out of slavery to sin with His own precious blood (1 Peter 1:18-19). 2nd, He is our High Priest, whose death sets us free, as well (Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; 9:11-14). And 3rd, He is our City of Refuge! Hebrews 6:18 talks about those “who have fled for refuge” to our Lord, Jesus Christ! And Romans 8:1 says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are IN Christ Jesus.”
When you fear for your life, you cannot run to an actual city of refuge today, no. Instead, you run to something (or Someone) far better. You run to Jesus Christ! You run to Him, especially when you fear punishment for sin, whether it was accidental or intentional.
You see, the Old Testament cities of refuge only protected the manslayer from punishment for accidental sin. Jesus protects those who run to Him from punishment for intentional sin, as well. So if you’re afraid…
RUN TO JESUS FOR REFUGE.
Find your protection in Him. Trust Him to save you from punishment for ALL your sins, not just the unintentional ones.
The book Deep Down Dark, by Hector Tobar, tells the story of the 33 Chilean miners buried 2000 feet underground for over three months back in 2010. They were trapped in a large space, including a room they called The Refuge. They had no idea if anyone would come for them. On August 5th, a Christian man named Don Jose Henriquez, turned to a fellow miner named Mario and whispered, “God is the only way out of this.” Then, in front of the miners, Mario announced, “Don José, we know you are a Christian man, and we need you to lead us in prayer. Will you?”
Henríquez drops to his knees and tells the men they should also do so, because when you pray you have to humble yourself before your Creator. “We aren't the best men, but Lord, have pity on us,” Henríquez begins. It's a simple statement, but it strikes several of the men hard. “No somos los mejores hombres.” We aren't the best men. Víctor Segovia knows he drinks too much. Víctor Zamora is too quick to anger. Pedro Cortez thinks about the poor father he's been to his young daughter: He left the girl's mother, and he hasn't even done the basic fatherly thing of visiting his little girl, even though he knows his absence is inflicting a lasting hurt on her.
Henríquez continues, “Jesus Christ, our Lord, let us enter the sacred throne of your grace. Consider this moment of difficulty of ours. We are sinners and we need you.” Just about everyone who was at the entrance to the Refuge or inside is on his knees…
Henriquez prays, “We want you to make us stronger and help us in this hour of need. There's nothing we can humanly do without your help. We need you to take charge of this situation. Please, Lord. Take charge of this.” (Hector Tobar, Deep Down Dark; www.PreachingToday.com)
As you know, Jesus answered their prayer and saved them even thought they were not “the best men.” Jesus was their Refuge deep down in that mine, and He continued to be a Refuge from sin’s condemnation for those who put their trust in Him even after they got out of the mine.
Please, if you’re afraid today, run to Jesus for refuge. Trust Him to protect you from punishment for ALL your sin. Depend on Him to keep you safe from the “avenger of blood”, i.e., from the one who would condemn you. Then…
MAKE JESUS ACCESSIBLE to others who need Him.
Make Him easy to get to. Point the way to Christ, and clear out anything that might prevent people from getting to Him. That’s what the people of Israel did for their cities of refuge.
Joshua 20:7-8 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. (ESV)
There were six cities of refuge equally distributed throughout the land of Israel. There were three cities on the west side of the Jordan River and three on the east side. So that every Israelite, no matter where he or she lived, could get to any one of the cities very quickly.
On top of that, Jewish historians say that the Israelites kept the roads to these cities in excellent condition. They leveled every hill along the way. They bridged every river. They placed signs at every turn, pointing the way to “refuge”. And they stationed runners along the way to guide the fugitives looking for safety. They made every effort to facilitate salvation for those who needed it.
And that’s what God calls His people to do when it comes to Jesus. Point the way and make every effort to help people find Him.
Just a little more than five years ago (August 2013), the Center for the Study of Global Christianity did some research and discovered something very interesting. They discovered that 20% (one out of five) non-Christians in North America do not “personally know” a single follower of Christ. That's 13,447,000 people who don't have a Christian friend or even a Christian acquaintance. The percentages get higher for certain religious groups. For example, 65 percent of Buddhists, 75 percent of Chinese people, 78 percent of Hindus, and 43 percent of Muslims in America do not personally know a follower of Christ.
Around the world, the numbers are much worse: more than 80% of non-Christians do not personally know a follower of Christ.
Todd M. Johnson, one of the researchers for the study, said that relatively small gestures – like inviting families into your home for Thanksgiving dinner – can have a bigger impact than huge mission campaigns. Johnson said, “You should really have lifelong friendships with Hindus, Buddhists, and so on. It's so simple, and yet it becomes a great deal.” (Abby Stocker, “The Craziest Statistic You'll Read About North American Missions,” Christianity Today, 8-19-13; www.PreachingToday.com)
As a follower of Christ, I would ask you, “How many unbelievers call you a friend?” If there’s not that many, then stop hanging out with just believers and make every effort to hang out with some unbelievers. Start by asking God to bring some into your life.
The best advice I’ve ever heard on personal evangelism is, “Do something that you personally enjoy, and do it with unbelievers.” Do you like working on cars? Do it with unbelievers. Do you like quilting? Join a quilting club with unbelievers. Do you like reading? Join a book club with unbelievers. Do you like riding ATV’s? Ride them with unbelievers. Do you like going to movies? Invite an unbeliever to go with you. Do you like playing video games? Do it with unbelievers. That’s what my son-in-law, whose an elder in his church, does.
The point is: make every effort to connect with unbelievers in their world. Become genuine friends, so that when they’re desperate for refuge, you’re right there to point the way to Jesus. Make it as easy as possible for people to get to Jesus when they need Him.
I like the picture Dallas Willard paints about the Kingdom of God. It’s accessible simply through faith in Christ, which connects people to God’s power in their every-day lives. Willard says:
As a child I lived in an area of southern Missouri where electricity was available only in the form of lightning. We had more of that than we could use. But in my senior year of high school the REA (Rural Electrification Administration) extended its lines into the area where we lived, and electrical power became available to households and farms.
When those lines came by our farm, a very different way of living presented itself. Our relationships to fundamental aspects of life—daylight and dark, hot and cold, clean and dirty, work and leisure, preparing food and preserving it—could then be vastly changed for the better. But we still had to believe in the electricity and its arrangements, understand them, and take the practical steps involved in relying on it.
You may think the comparison rather crude, and in some respects it is. But it will help us to understand Jesus' basic message about the kingdom of heaven if we pause to reflect on those farmers who, in effect, heard the message: “Repent, for electricity is at hand.” Repent, or turn from their kerosene lamps and lanterns, their iceboxes and cellars, their scrub-boards and rug beaters, their woman-powered sewing machines and their radio with dry-cell batteries.
The power that could make their lives far better was right there near them where, by making relatively simple arrangements, they could utilize it. Strangely, a few did not accept it. They did not enter the kingdom of electricity. Some just didn't want to change. Others could not afford it, or so they thought. (Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, HarperCollins Publishers, 1997, pp. 30-31; www.PreachingToday.com)
In the same way, the Kingdom of God is available through simple confidence in Jesus, and you can most certainly afford it. The Bible says, “Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life WITHOUT PRICE (Revelation 22:17). All you have to do is turn from your old way of life to Jesus. Trust Him with your life and experience a whole new way of living in His power.
That’s the simple message we have for those living in the kingdom of darkness. There’s the Kingdom of Light for anyone who puts their trust in Christ. Please, don’t complicate it. If you haven’t come to Jesus yet, do it today. Run to Jesus for refuge. And if you have already done that, make Jesus accessible to others who need Him. Get close to some unbelievers and point them to Jesus as the Refuge for their souls.
However, when you do that, don’t discriminate. Don’t exclude anyone from that opportunity. In other words, not only make Jesus accessible to others, but also…
MAKE JESUS AVAILABLE TO ALL!
Open the way for anyone who needs Him, including your enemies, including the stranger and the alien, including those who are very different than you.
That’s what the Israelites did with the Cities of Refuge. They made the cities available to native Israelites AND to the immigrants among them.
Joshua 20:9 These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation. (ESV)
Anyone could find refuge in those cities, whether you were a citizen or a stranger, whether you were an Israelite or an immigrant, whether you were rich or poor, black or white, saint or sinner. Israel made those Cities of Refuge available to everyone!
And that’s what God calls His people to do when it comes to Jesus. Befriend a Mexican. Befriend a Muslim. Befriend someone outside your circle, with the hope that you can show them Jesus, their only hope for refuge from sin.
Global missions expert Paul Borthwick talks about meeting a young man named Peter at a McDonalds in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Peter was working the counter, and Paul recognized him from their young adult ministry at church. Paul knew that he had just graduated from Harvard University with a master's degree, so he greeted Peter and managed to get him to break free for coffee together.
“What are you doing here?” Paul asked him, knowing that Harvard master's degree students don't usually aspire to work the counter at McDonald's.
“Well,” Peter explained, “I graduated in May but I went four months without finding a job, so I said to myself, 'I need some income to pay bills.' So this is where I've ended up—at least for now.”
"Sorry to hear that. It must be hard," Paul replied, but Peter cut him off.
“No. Don't be sorry. God has me here. This place is giving me awesome opportunities to share my faith. I'm on a shift that includes a Buddhist guy from Sri Lanka, a Muslim fellow from Lebanon, a Hindu lady from India, and a fellow Christian from El Salvador. It's awesome. I get to be a global missionary to my coworkers while asking ‘would you like fries with that?’”
He laughed and so did Paul, but Peter’s mindset shaped the way he looked at his circumstances and at the people around him. (Paul Borthwick, Great Commission, Great Compassion, IVP Books, 2015, page 46; www.PreachingToday.com)
Whatever your view about “the wall” and illegal immigration, the amazing truth is that God has brought people from just about every nation into our own neighborhoods. Now, you can complain, or you can see that as an opportunity to make friends and point them to Jesus when they get desperate for a place of refuge.
When you’re afraid, run to Jesus for refuge. But don’t keep Him to yourself. Make Jesus accessible and available to all.
Ev'ryday they pass me by.
I can see it in their eyes:
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where.
On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear.
Laughter hides the silent cries Only Jesus hears.
People need the Lord. People need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord. People need the Lord.
When will we realize People need the Lord.
We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong seems right.
What could be too great a cost
For sharing life with one who's lost?
Through His love, our hearts can feel All the grief they bear.
They must hear the words of life Only we can share. (Greg Nelson, Phill McHugh)
