New Life

On Saturday morning, I hopped out of bed with the residue of defeat lingering like a thick cloud over my head from the previous’ days troubles. I didn’t feel like being social because I still felt slightly irritated. I thought about Pastor Richard’s nugget that he shared during a recent sermon on being "physically present" for divine appointments.

To be honest, I was still trying to work through my social awkwardness. I simply gravitated towards people that seemed to enjoy my company. Those that didn’t care to share my space was perfectly suitable for my taste. It meant less stretching out of my comfort zone. I could live with that.

So, here I was physically present to serve as a volunteer at this Street Church event but emotionally preoccupied. The biggest problem with introverts is that we spend a lot of time in isolation, working on "inward" feelings. There’s rarely room on our plate for much else because we’re so overwhelmed by working through our own stuff. Some would argue that’s terribly selfish but it’s complicated in my world. There’s a deeper root to my actions that’s almost unexplainable on a superficial level. In other words, you can’t make accurate assumptions based on what you see with the naked eye because you don’t have enough information to access the perils of the unseen.

Rather than beat myself up over being emotionally unavailable to effectively serve, I tried to remain physically present for God’s download. Even if I wasn’t serving, there had to be a reason God summoned me to this exact location at this exact moment.

Of all the things I observed and heard, the thing that rang loudest was a woman’s testament of faith during some pretty difficult moments. Followed by another woman sharing an intense personal account of the meaning of baptism. I could feel the raw unedited version of her pain and her joy simultaneously. There was healing in her words.

Ok Jesus, I was in full attendance now. He had my undivided attention. As we took communion, I was Godly sorry for my unintentional and intentional transgressions committed against Him. I was still holding on to this "power struggle" with Him because absolute submission meant having no earthly control of the ending. I wanted what I wanted--a perfect ending to a tormentuous beginning.

I watched strangers become family through their public declaration of faith. Each time a candidate went down...

I could see their chains being loosed in the air.

I could smell the death of their past drowning.

I could see their newfound freedom rising.

My busy little Sociologist mind, intentionally looked at each participant’s face when they came up from baptism. It was something quite different about them. There wasn’t a textbook answer to explain the peace I witnessed firsthand in their eyes. I didn’t need to know their story to know that God’s resurrection power had reached down and snatched their souls into new life.

At the end, I glanced at the dirty pool full of grass and other debris. I could just imagine the hurts, pains and disappointments washed away. I saw members embrace leaders with maternal hugs of unconditional love. They were proud of their accomplishment and I was honored to witness it. God knew I needed to be there. This wasn’t just a regular community initiative to gain some followers. This was a life changing transformation with God’s hand at work. This was an encounter that served as a reminder that real ministry exceeds the four walls of the church. This was love in action!

I caught a quick glimpse of a woman walking around with a stack of manila envelopes for each candidate and my heart smiled.

The participants (no my family members) earned their papers.

They made it to their freedom.

Jesus paid the price.

New life was here. 

Forgiveness was available.

Condemnation was no more.

The blood still works. 

It covers. It releases. It heals.