The Broadway musical Hamilton is an historical story about Alexander Hamilton and his impact on the formation of our country told through the eyes of Aaron Burr. Although some of the music and dialogue of Hamilton are not ready for Wednesday night prayer service, the song “In the Room Where it Happens” focuses on the access to power that comes directly as a result of being present in the room.
In the early church, the message of Christ was delivered primarily through face-to-face communication from Christians to unbelievers. Paul the Apostle, who was responsible for the growth and spiritual maturity of the early church, provided wisdom, insight and encouragement through personal visits and letters. Thankfully, many of Paul’s letters were preserved for us in the Bible. Today we call such person-to-person communication “grassroots efforts.”
Ruth Bell Graham, the late wife of evangelist Billy Graham, spent many hours travelling with her husband on highways and farm-to-market roads in their efforts to spread the gospel. The pot holes, temporary pavement, and unclear road markings in these zones clearly reflected that there was a “work in progress.” These construction zones often reminded Mrs. Graham that as long as she was here on earth, she was also a “work in progress” supervised by the great architect and engineer, Jesus Christ.
Habitat for Humanity (known as “Habitat”) is a well known, international, non-profit Christian ministry that provides quality, affordable housing to the less fortunate. Everyone who receives a home from Habitat is expected to make a down payment and monthly payments to help cover costs. On their website, Habitat describes their ministry as one that uses the “theology of a hammer” and the “economics of Jesus”.