Our church preforms communion slightly different than most churches. You see, we only preform communion 2 times each year, once the week before thanksgiving and the other on the Thursday before Eater Sunday. Why? Because communion in our church takes three hours. Communion, begins with worship music, prayers of repentance, a foot washing ceremony where you wash another's foot while praying over them and then receive prayer while another washes your feet. Afterwards, we eat a fellowship meal and then, give praise to God for his glory in our lives. Finally, towards the close of the night we partake in the traditional communion by reading the scriptures, and consuming the unleavened bread and grape juice in place of the bread and wine that Jesus used in the last supper with his disciples in the upper room. If you have not participated in a communion like this, I highly recommend it, because now, going to our church for four years, I can look back and honestly testify to the Holy Spirit moving in each one. Tonight was no exception...
I think back to our first communion service nearly four years ago. Brandon had recently had surgery and I was looking for a new church to blend into. You see, I did not want to go to First Baptist again only to answer the same question "How is Brandon doing." My bitter heart would silently scream "Call him and ask him yourself if you really care...!" But of course, I never said such a thing, but their curious sympathy got on my nerves enough to make me stop wanting to attend church. And so when we moved, it was the perfect opportunity to try out the church around the corner from our new home. And so I did. And I liked it, and went back. I even wheeled Brandon to church (literally begging him to join me). I was 7 months pregnant with Hannah. Then, just before I was due with our first child and two months into attending this new church we were invited to the communion service. I am not going to lie, I thought it was weird. I was uncomfortable nearly the whole time, and Grandma Joe, or so they called her, offered to wash my feet, and I could not find a polite way to tell her no. IN the other room however, Brandon was paired up with Pastor Paul. The two, at this time, did not know each other, and Brandon had a cast on his foot from a recent surgery. Pastor Paul felt a strong urgency to wash Brandon's foot. the one in the cast. He told Brandon unsure, what he felt the Lord was asking and Brandon agreed to let him. Anything for the Lord right? Long story short, Brandon walked to church the following Sunday because the bones that would not fuse for the past 6 months, suddenly fused together allowing Brandon to now put enough weight on it to walk. We all felt that this was nothing short of a miracle that began with the obedience of two men praying before the Lord at communion.
Fast forward to my experience last Spring, the foot washing ceremony and a lady, Kris, who I barely knew, actually I only knew of her, was paired up with me. I have no problem washing the feet of others, but the act of having another wash your feet is extremely humbling. At the time I was going through a little pity party, and I remember asking God if he even knew that I existed the night before. and when it came to my turn to have my feet washed, this woman, Kris, began claiming a vision over me saying that God was so in love with me, and that I was like a jewel on his chest, the color of a jewel, she said, was like no color she had ever seen before and that God sees all that I do for his kingdom, and that he loves me so much....and she continued with proclaiming her vision over me, but to be honest, I was so overwhelmed at what I had heard. Right there, God was answering my pathetic plea of a prayer from this woman's mouth, a woman I did not even know! I was moved to near tears. So in awe that the GOD of the universe would even notice me, let alone claim me as a jewel for his kingdom! It was so moving, that I don't think I have ever thanked her for her words...how do you say thank you to such a thing? So Kris, if you are reading this, just know God used you as an instrument that night to heal my soul in the same miraculous way God used Pastor Paul to heal Brandon's foot.
Now, tonight. Again, I don't know what it is, but I was in a funk.. Big time, FLAT OUT, didn't want to get out of bed funk.. I was beating myself up so much. Mostly feeling as though I do NOTHING for the kingdom of God because I have honestly never felt as though I have lead anyone to God through the "sinners" prayer. I did not want to go, but felt obligated to go as a now active member of the church. I tried, oh how I tried, to avoid the foot washing ceremony. Its not that I didn't want to wash someone's feet, again that does not bother me at all, I will pray for another all night long, but have a difficult time with others praying over me, asking for prayer, releasing my pride I guess...? Luckily for me, it appeared that everyone had been paired up and so I slipped away so as to go unnoticed. When I returned a good 15 min. later, two friends of mine "caught" me and Cathy said she would wash my feet. I assured her I was fine, but then learned that no one had yet washed her feet and so I did so happily, knowing full well she intended to return the blessing. And so she did, she blessed me with prayer for energy and strength to continue working for the kingdom of God. There it was again, the answer to my prayers out of the mouth of another who knows not what I was struggling with.
If that was not enough, at the end of tonight, after the entirety of the service, I slipped out to gather my children, still just wanting to be home, and another lady, newer to the church, pegged me in the corner. And the words that she said to me might never leave me. She said: "I wanted to tell you that whatever you are doing on Wednesday night church with those kids is really working. I have seen the difference in my son, he will do anything so as not to miss coming to church. In fact, if it wasn't for you teaching him about God, I wouldn't be here today. Whenever I was down, he would tell me that I just needed to trust Jesus because Jesus loves {her}." I almost cried right then and there. Because if you knew her son, I too have seen a change, he was such an angry hurtful little boy, and now, he is one of THE sweetest kids ever. He hugs me every chance he gets, tells me about his day, and asks if there is anything he can do to help me and willing helps me take out the garbages of the church every Wednesday night because he has such a servant's heart. He was a former foster child, and the lady in front of me, telling me that she found Jesus because of her son, was new to being his mom since being rewarded custody once again this past summer.
God makes beautiful things out of us. All around, hope is springing up out of chaos and life is in being found in Christ. (sorry this song was playing on Pandora while I was typing and it just seemed to fit!) Beautiful Things by Gungor
God has been trying to tell me, that loving his people is not vain, it is not easy, but it is ALWAYS for his kingdom. And although pouring time, energy, money and patience into his children can often be exhausting and thankless, we do it for him, and he sees it, and sometimes, he lets us see it to...
No comments:
Post a Comment