The six of them sat on the very back pew tonight. They talked and laughed amongst themselves the entire time, providing a constant distraction during my sermon. As I walked down the aisle they stopped talking, some shifting their gaze towards the floor, others looking up into my eyes. For a moment I stood there proclaiming truth to the backs of the heads of the congregation. Ironic if you think about it. The distractions resumed once I relocated to the front of the church. But tonight they came inside. All six of them.
The last two nights have been strange. For a few days I’ve noticed some white people walking around our streets. They’re normally with the pastor of that church across from our corner. At first they kept a distance, just like everyone who knows about us does. But then last night the two guys in the group just walked up to us. They didn’t seem to care if it was our corner or not, they just walked up. We were all wasted so we didn’t really care anyway. One of them spoke a little Spanish and told us that he was going to talk in the church in 30 minutes and he wanted us to come listen. I don’t go to church; I’ve been before and hated it. All they talked about was praising God and forgiving sins. I’d rather just get stoned and hang out on the corner. But then for some reason we ended up over there. Two of the guys actually went inside, but I just stood outside the window and listened. That American guy talked about how he used to drink and smoke all the time, but then God changed his heart, whatever that means. It sounded like he used to do a lot of the same stuff that I do. So tonight we were sitting on the corner and the Americans came to the church again. None of us wanted to go, but for some reason we all did. No one wanted to stand again, so we actually went inside this time and sat in the back. The other American did the talking tonight, something about God using our weaknesses for his glory. Those people are all so easy to make fun of; we just sat there laughing at them the entire time. Maybe we’ll go back again tomorrow if they’re there again.
I sat in the passenger seat of the taxi, tired and angry. Three nights ago those kids didn’t even acknowledge us, but tonight all six of them were in church. No, they didn’t really pay attention and no, they weren’t exactly sober, but they all came inside. Why does tomorrow have to be our last day with this church? Why do we have to spend our last week here with yet another new church? We’re just starting to build relationships with these people, the kids in the gang finally came to church, and now we have to leave? I guess I was too busy preaching to actually listen to the sermon which God had just given through me 30 minutes prior. Why did I think God needed me in this situation? I would love to have gotten to know those guys, but they didn’t come to church tonight because we were here. They came to church tonight because God used us as a means of bringing them to church. It’s a subtle yet drastic difference. God doesn’t need us, but he wants to use us.
And so in a display of His power (and might I also add, a means of assuaging my frustrations), God brought the guys back again last night. All of them. Plus what must have been 8 or 9 of their friends. After the service, Dan and I stood in the street with them, trying our best to communicate. We invited them to play soccer with us this afternoon and they quickly accepted. I’ll never see these guys again after our game today, but over the course of 7 days I got to watch God at work in their lives. And though I’d rather stay and get to know each of them, their story, their lives, I can leave here with peace. God IS at work in their lives. For two nights He used me as a preacher. Today He will use me as a friend. And those are the only two parts I was made to play in their story.
