CHRISTMAS IN UNEXPECTED PLACES: THE STORY OF RAHAB
When you think of an orchestra, you are probably picturing refined woodwinds, brass, and strings. But one ensemble I recently met is made up mostly of kids who play instruments made from literal trash. This is the Recycled Orchestra from Cateura, Paraguay.[1]
Cateura is not a town, really. It is a slum alongside a landfill, located not far from Paraguay's capital city, Asunción.
Every day, about 3 million pounds of solid waste get dumped in Cateura. Many families eke out their existence by scavenging trash from the landfill to resell, and kids regularly get pulled out of school to help. During rainstorms, the landfill floods, and residents must wade through contaminated water.
"Really, to be honest with you," says 16-year-old violinist Noelia Rios, "there was practically nothing in Cateura. What there was most was drugs."
Her violin, like many in the orchestra, is made from cans, wooden spoons, and bent forks. One of the ensemble's cellos uses an oil drum for its body. String pegs are created from detritus like old cooking utensils and even the heel of a worn-out women's shoe. Drumheads are made from old X-ray films, held in place with copious amounts of packing tape. Fifteen-year-old Tobias Armoa plays a saxophone made from a drainpipe, melted copper, coins, spoon handles, cans, and bottle caps.
The Recycled Orchestra was founded 10 years ago by Favio Chavez. "I went to work in Cateura as an environmental engineer," Chavez says. "I saw that there were a lot of children there, and I had the idea to teach them music in my free time."
Chavez' classes became so popular that they soon ran out of donated instruments. So he asked Nicolas Gomez, a talented carpenter in the community nicknamed "Cola," to make new instruments for his group — out of stuff from the landfill.
Several years ago, the orchestra caught the attention of a team of filmmakers led by executive producer Alejandra Amarilla. She knew that most people outside Paraguay had no clue about her home country. So, the team went looking for a story to tell.
"It was mostly to be able to create awareness on children's issues," Amarilla says. "The uniqueness of the story that I ended up picking was that it contained a very strong emotional component, and very inspiring."
Four years ago, the film team made a short video for a Kickstarter campaign, hoping to raise $175,000 to make a full-length documentary. Not only did they raise the money — the video went viral. Since then, the Recycled Orchestra has performed for politicians, monarchs and Pope Francis. The group plays Mozart, Paraguayan folk music, even Frank Sinatra. And the young musicians have backed up artists like Stevie Wonder, Metallica and Megadeth.
These days, kids from Cateura are flocking to join the orchestra. Ten-year-old Cinthia Servin, who plays the violin, says that she looked up to some of the older girls in the ensemble, and saw all the amazing opportunities they were having to travel well beyond Paraguay: "I wanted to play because it seemed like they liked what they were playing," she says, "and I wanted to visit other countries."
But it has not been easy for the Recycled Orchestra to go from being a community-based group to being the toast of international development for folks and media around the world.
"Nothing that happened to us was planned, of any of this," Chavez says. "We're still learning to deal with it, moment to moment."
In the meantime, the ensemble has brought a lot of good to Cateura. Money the orchestra has generated from its international touring has funded the building of new, safer homes for several members of the group and their families — and the orchestra's lead instrument maker, Cola Gomez.
Chavez says there has also been a bigger change. "What we have achieved," he says, "is that in the community, children are respected. And respect for the moment that they need to get an education. It is something sacred. Before, it was not like this. Before I gave music classes, the mom or dad would take the kid away by the hand because they had to go to work. Today, that is unthinkable, impossible for it to happen. And we've already achieved the most difficult thing, which is to change the community."
Maybe it did not have to be music that triggered such a fundamental shift. It could have been soccer, or chess, or theater, or some other activity.
In so many ways this orchestra is a great picture of God’s grace. God specializes in transforming lives. Junk gets a mulligan with him.
God turns lives that are in the worst situation into ones that he can use.
- Moses was a murderer who delivered his people.
- Abraham was a deceiver who became the father of a nation.
- David was a cheater who had an adversary murdered. He became king and was a man after God’s own heart.
- Paul was a violent oppressor but became the most effective missionary of all time.
- Peter denied Jesus but proclaimed the gospel powerfully.
This season we are looking at three messages entitled “Christmas in the Unexpected Places.” We will not neglect the manger, the shepherds, or the angels. We will remember Mary, Joseph, and the Baby. But we will be focused where you do not expect.
The Unexpected Place (Matthew 1:1-17)
This week and next week we will jump off from a place often ignored.
This is the genealogy[a] of Jesus the Messiah[b] the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of As, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. 12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. 17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
These are so much more than names on a page. Each of them is a story of grace. Each represents God’s ability to turn junk into something meaningful.
An Unexpected Person: Rahab
Look again at verse 5. Did you see the name? She is not only mentioned here but mentioned in the great hall of faith in Hebrews 11 and in James 2:25.
She is mentioned eight times in Scripture. Five times we hear her profession. She was a harlot. Yes, you can try to clean it up, but you cannot. She was a prostitute. She doubtless looked the part. Here makeup was layered on. Her eyes were shadowed. She was the lowest of the low life people.
How? How could a woman like this come to be included in the genealogy of Jesus? We must go back to Joshua 2 to find her story.
The background is in the first chapter of Joshua. Joshua is leading the people of God into the promised land. He sends spies into the land to determine the correct path. I will describe the scenes and let the picture unfold.
Scene One: The spies are in danger of being destroyed. (Verses 1-2)
Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So, they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.”
They are in Jericho, that formidable walled city. The wall was so thick that chariots could ride on top of it in each direction and pass each other with room to spare. The people were wicked, showing no respect for life.
Their presence is discovered by someone who reported it to the king. They were now in danger. Their lives would be meaningless to the king.
Scene Two: She Lies to Rescue Them (Verses 3-7)
3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) 7 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.
Not only are the spies trapped, but so is she. If she does something to rescue them and is caught, she will be killed. If she does nothing she will be destroyed when the people of God conquer the land.
She steps up and hides them on the roof, lying to the soldiers. They leave quickly to follow them.
One word of warning. God is not pleased with her lie or her unchastity. He did not authorize her lie. God used her despite her methodology. He does not condone dishonesty. He would have provided another way.
Scene Three: She Speaks of Her Faith (Verses 8-11)
8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea[a] for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.[b] 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
We get a great insight into the state of the people in Jericho. She and her people have heard of God’s great power. They know that if God wants the land nothing can stop him.
She speaks of God’s providence in giving them Cannan. She knows of God’s presence in the Exodus. The summation of her belief system is the sovereignty of God.
All the people have heard these things. She believes in their mission and their God. Her actions were based on her belief. She is forced to choose between her mission and her God. She makes a clear decision.
Scene Four: Her request and their promise. (Verses 12-20)
12 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.” “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”15 So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. 16 She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.” 17 Now the men had said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us 18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. 19 If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads; we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on them. 20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”
She asks for mercy for herself and her family. They agree to her request and make it clear that they must follow the rules. They are not to leave her house when the invasion begins. Obedience to the commands is her only chance. She agrees and they leave.
Scene Five: The Rescue (Joshua 6:22-23)
22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” 23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.
She was resourceful and willing to help them at great risk to herself. She risks her life for a God she hardly knew.
They keep their word. When the walls of Jericho fall and the rest of the residents are killed, she and her family are saved. The people she spared are sent to spare her.
Because of these actions she survives and comes into the lineage of Jesus. The Christmas message is that anyone can be included. A harlot? Really? In the line of the Savior? God redeems the trash.
One more message, notice the red cord. Doesn’t that remind you of the blood of Jesus? The blood of the one who came to be born redeems fallen humanity.
God redeemed the trash of Jericho. That is why Jesus came. God spotted a tender heart in a hard city. Likewise, you may think God cannot use you. You are wrong. Your story has hope through the vision of Rahab. She is the great, great grandmother of David.
Rahab shows us how to let our faith show. When God works in you, He expects you to act. James highlights her as an example walking in faith. She shows her faith in her work. Do the same.
[1] Online Article From Trash To Triumph: The Recycled Orchestra, September 14, 2016. NP
