Recently, after having enjoyed a delicious, albeit expensive cup of coffee, I bumped into a Pastor from our church (in fact I literally bumped into his table and spilt his coffee into his lap). He kind of stands out in any Singaporean crowd due to his ginger locks and moustache, he was hard to miss. We had not yet met and after some introduction and pleasantries we got down to the business of discussing our testimonies.

As we spoke together of missions and of his direct work in the volatile province of Orissa, India, I was reminded of a father and his two sons who were martyred near that region, burned to death in there jeep by Hindu extremists on January 22nd, 1999. You may have seen the headlines as we did in Australia…such headlines as ‘Murder at midnight’ splashed across papers and newscasts alike.

The Staines family had been originally sent from several churches including ours in Brisbane…so the news spread quickly and came thru to our Pastor only several minutes before we were to begin our worship the following day.

As it happened I was leading worship that day. Our Pastor, with great anguish and yet triumphant joy made the announcement to the congregation that the Trumpet had sounded for Graham and his two boys, Timothy and Philip. They were now seeing their Saviour face to face.

Needless to say leading worship was difficult that Sunday morning, moments where words could not be uttered, eyes were filled with tears…and yet incredible hope filled our congregation. Though shocked and bewildered, we all caught a glimpse of eternity that day that I am sure was not be soon forgotten.

In simple terms what we did that day opened our eyes to another tangible dimension of Worship…the reality of life and death, of martyrdom for our Glorious King, what we have often read about became a part of our churches story.

As it happens I did not even know the family personally, but that didn’t diminish my response to the Lord that day. Faith, Love and importantly Hope were the ingredients of thanksgiving, of worship that Sunday morning. My eyes are filled with tears as I write not only for the Staines family, a wife and daughter left behind, but for the glory of the Lord, that the zeal for His house would consume us as we lay our lives, our hearts, our all before Him.

For Graham, Philip and Timothy the fire and zeal of God that consumed them, fueled the flames of hatred that brought them into His presence. An ironic twist of fate…never! Rather, a crown of righteousness as a reward for their ultimate act of worship, ushering them into the presence of Jesus, with arms open wide.

Though sad for those left behind, there is ultimately victory for the Kingdom of God and a testament to the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in this family’s life. Gladys, widow of Graham and their daughter Esther have been back in that very place for several years now continuing what they as a family had begun, all to the glory of God, in praise and worship of their King.

Adam
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