BOOK 1: SERENDIPITY / CH. 23:PREDESTINATION
WEDNESDAY EVENING
John introduced Sarah to the group's members as they arrived. There were some familiar faces from Sunday, but perhaps two thirds of the fifteen who arrived after Arwood and Hannah were new. Since on Sunday Sarah had been John's friend (or totally unknown) and now, barely three days later, she was his fiancée, there were inevitably surprise and questions along with the congratulations. Why had he said nothing about her last week? Barely met each other to be engaged in under a week? What were they thinking?
Once everyone had arrived, John told the simplified version of the tale he'd been delaying until then: “Well, to start with, God seems to have been doing something in my heart for the past month. Kate here declared it to be love before first sight. I don't know what else to describe it as. Sarah here's scream is all that warned me to try and get Sally under the table during the attack. I felt I owed her a debt, but it was far more than that. I was sure that my long term happiness depended on her being well. Then when we met, she found herself acting out of character. It was like we'd known each other for years, we just clicked, when we'd only just met. People have used the phrase 'a match made in heaven,' but it felt much too crazy. I still didn't want to let myself admit that what I felt might be love. And then the Lord led Sarah to rebuke me using words He'd used about letting go of Sally. That got my attention. And then of course there was the bit about the wedding ring.” He glanced at Sarah who took over the narration.
“We were about to do a test at the Institute, and as an example John said ‘suppose I said, 'I'll give you a ring.’ And I heard my lips saying what colour box it was in and where John kept it.”
“It was Sally's wedding ring,” supplied John. “That sort of prompting does tend to focus the mind. Oh, did I ever tell any of you about the engagement ring I got Sally, that the jeweller had been so proud his daughter had been able to make?”
“That was a long time ago, John, but it rings a bell,” offered Margaret.
“Then let me introduce the creator of that ring. I'd almost forgotten myself, and then Sarah was telling me about how sometimes her dad had sold apprentice work cheaply, and then told me about her making a ring, and her dad saying it was very good and that he'd sell it.”
“I didn't really believe Dad when he told me that he had, but here's the evidence. This is the ring I made.”
“It sounds like God has something in mind for you two,” Margaret offered.
“It does seem like the Lord of history has been working hard to bring them together.” Arwood agreed.
“Working hard, or just being more obvious than usual?” asked Hannah.
“I don't know which,” Kate said, “but I do know Sarah here helped me put my trust in Jesus this afternoon after years of John's words being like so much water off a duck's back, and that this evening another coincidence introduced me to Pete here, who I stopped talking to after he became a Christian back in college. In case you missed the introductions, I'm Kate, I've been John's boss for the last six years or so, and he's not allowed to tell you that if you know where he works.”
John added, “and Pete's decided to abandon West Grove Church this evening so he can spy on us instead. Though I suspect it's more to do with Kate's coming here.”
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After everyone had been introduced again, Arwood spoke: “To all these coincidences, I'd like to point out another. Anyone apart from John here remember the topic we're due to discuss tonight?”
Margaret's eyes twinkled as she said, “I don't remember but I bet it's predestination!”
“It almost has to be, doesn't it?” asked Sarah.
“How long ago did we first plan this, Arwood?” John asked.
“Well, it was on last year's list, but it got pushed later and later by different things that came up. Then there were the Advent series and Easter series. And then it had been due to be last week, but we had so much to talk about a fortnight ago that we all decided to have another week on the fruit of the Spirit. So, there we are. It's just a coincidence resulting from the umpteen separate exercises of our free will.”
“Which decisions God predestined according to His great mercy,” Hannah supplemented.
A pained expression passed over Arwood's face. “Yes, darling, that's the topic, but let's wait until we've looked up some passages, can we?” he begged. “Margaret, will you open in prayer, please?”
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After the meeting was over, John asked, “Well, Sarah, Kate, Pete, did you enjoy our happy little debate?”
“I wish you'd have come to a conclusion as to which one is true,” Kate moaned. “Everything Arwood said sounded right, and everything Hannah said sounded right too, but they were disagreeing. And while I'm generally in favour of neutral chairing of debates, this one was really confusing.”
“Why can't they both be right, Kate?” asked Pete. “It's illogical, that's why!”
“But you became a Christian of your own free will, didn't you?” Sarah asked.
“Yes.”
“And your asking to know God's peace like I do? Who forced you to do that?”
“No one,” Kate replied. “It was my own silly thoughtless tongue which landed me in I don't know what trouble.”
“Well, there you are then. They're both true,” Sarah concluded happily.
“I'm missing something here, I think. Why does my exercise of free will mean they're both true?”
“Didn't you notice a total lack of surprise about your gift on either of our faces, Kate?” John asked.
“Come to think of it, you weren't surprised, were you? Own up, why not? Had you been praying that I'd get your gift too?”
“No, Kate. It's just that when we discovered our gift way back on Monday, God told us that you'd join us in having it when you became a Christian. We didn't know when that'd be of course, but we did know you were destined to get the gift.”
“And you didn't tell me? Why not? Because you thought it might have scared me away or seemed like a bribe?”
“Neither,” John replied. “Just that God told us not to. It seems like God wanted you here, Kate, of your own free will, with your predestined gift.”
“But they can't both be right, surely.”
“Kate, have you heard of the grandfather paradox in time travel?” Pete asked.
“I'm sure I have. Something about going back and killing your grandfather?”
“Yes, before he met your grandmother. It was supposed to prove that time travel can't happen. There are a few different solutions. One suggests you start a new universe if you do anything at all in history. I think that one is a bit of a cop-out myself. Another suggests that you utterly fail to do it, possibly fatally to you. A third suggests that it was your abysmal failure to kill him that causes him to meet your gran. I like that one.”
“What does this have to do with predestination? I don't understand.”
“If there is a single line of history then your actions might seem to you to be arising from free will, but still they can be entirely fixed and predestined. Look at the last one. If your actions are what cause your grandparents to meet, then on the one hand you're predestined to do it, but it all stems from free will. God has never said that He won't interfere in history. Quite the opposite, in fact. Because He is outside of time and can see what is to happen, He is able to give prophesies to us too. He can make sure the circumstances exist that lead you to a certain decision at the right time, but it is still your decision. He does not force you. But He is God, even if most of the time His miracles are limited to keeping the earth turning and the stars in their places. He can equally act sovereignly, for example, to ensure these guys put this discussion off by a week. And if you still don't get it, take a peek and do it the easy way.”
He saw her eyes glaze over and return to normal. “Thank you, Pete. I don't think I fully understand. But I think my concept of God just got bigger.”
“Well, that's never a bad thing,” John said with a smile.