Greetings!! - “Fifty years ago”

In the name of Jesus whom we love, this is a greeting to the saints at McLean Presbyterian Church on their Seventy Fifth Anniversary.

An open letter to Tom Piltch the chief of staff of the McLean Church in honor and recognition of my pastors The Reverend Stephen Smallman and The Reverend James Forsyth and the saints, the objects on my love and gratitude for the gift of their friendship and fellowship through the many years that our Lord has given to us together.

 

As a staunch believer that, “The fellowship of the believers is our inheritance in this life”. I am here today ready to spend our inheritance of which I have need of now for I will have plenty in heaven. I have come to you today to “Hang out with Jesus as I hung out with you who are of Jesus.” I am eager and ready to drink from you that taste of heaven as if in the garden at the cool of the day.

 

For the new members of the Church, let me introduce myself to you.

My name is Gerardo Leopoldo Gutierrez Santillana (a 72 years old toddler at heart) and you are my brothers and sisters, prepare to be hugged on sight as we meet in the sand box and the play pen of God at the Balls Hill Road.

Let me start with a word of a personal testimony.

 

The most dangerous year of my life was 1969 when unbeknownst to me McLean PCA started to pray for me at the urging of Hugh Powlison a MTW missionary to Steve Smallman. This is the way how an activist, a kidnaper, a violent man, a blasphemer and a persecutor escaped with his life a massacre where many people died to his right and to his left hand as a result of his action.

 

Three years later as a result of your prayers and the tightening net of your love and little notes such as the teddy bear stationary of a six grader little girl saying: “Mr. Gutierrez I am praying for you.” And another letter from her Sunday School teacher saying, “Keep your heart tender toward God Mr. Gutierrez because we are praying for you.” Plus the attentions and love of the most beautiful straight eyebrow blue eye girl became too irresistible not to try Jesus and taste and see with all mental reservation if Jesus was what he said to be.

 

Thus the first of August of 1971 a Sunday afternoon I had my first little prayer from the very depths of my heart. “Dear God, if you really exist here I come: Naked I came from the womb of my mother so I come before you, for you to do with me as you will.” Just as simply and as deep as that I wave the flag of surrender to Jesus. Little did I know that God would take me at my word and he has been doing just that on me, through me and in spite of me and perhaps because of me all over the USA and the world.

 

My life long lesson learned in fifty years can be traced back to your prayers as it’s conception and can be expressed in one succinct verse. To me the whole of salvation as the work of God alone is in order to bring me back to the Garden and resume fellowship with God and one another at the cool of the day as if nothing ever happened. I know the will of God and I agree with God in a childlike manner as stated in scripture: “Rejoice in the Lord always, pray continuously and be thankful in all your circumstances, because this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

 

It is the will of God and that of Jesus and the Holy Spirit for his house to be known as the “House of Prayer.” The Church as the House of God can only be a House of Prayer if the little house of the heart of every individual believer is a closet of prayer where intimacy with God is king. Because Jesus is only in the midst of those who in his name they together gather.

Notice that this verse is quoted to you backwards because even though our writings are forwards, our understanding must be backwards as we belong to God who knows the end from the beginning and does not plan as he goes along.

 

In the name of him who died not only by predestining our lives but planned in sovereignty every step of the way whatsoever comes to pass. I bless you from the quiet guest room of Norman and Betty Snyder getting ready to meet at March and Miriam Bell with Steve and Sandy Smallman.

 

I cannot wait to see you.

 

Gerry Gutierrez.

 

PS. The Frankincense or the Frankenstein of Jesus.