Two Thoughts

Two quick thoughts....

First, I was "evangelized" on the train on my way to work this morning. I was as is normal for the first half of my trip smushed between several people, and I had my arm over a small asian lady's shoulder, trying to hold on to something that I could actually reach. (At 5'2", the hand holds from the ceiling aren't a very viable option.) I was wearing headphones, listening to a worship mix on my ipod, and trying to prepare myself mentally, emotionally and spiritually for the day ahead. All of a sudden the little (and I do mean little, she was a head shorter than me) asian lady reaches into her bag, and whips halfway around, holding the object out to me. "You want this?"

Now let me just say that I had already established, without ever speaking to this woman, that she was likely a Christian of some variety or other. She was holding an obviously well-used Bible in her arms, waiting for a chance for a seat so she could read. The object she was so suddenly holding out to me happenend to be a CD of a sermon from a local church. I politely declined to accept the CD, hoping that this would end the conversation. Instead she demanded, "Are you already a Christian?"

Seeing no hope for it, I answered yes, again hoping that this would end the conversation.

Instead, she demanded, "What church you go to?" And now I knew I was in a pickle, because my church does not have a nice normal churchy name that people recognize. (And just keep in mind that I was in fact touching another person on every side. This was the c-train at rush hour.) Again I answered quietly with the name of my church. "Epic." "What kind of church is that?" she demanded. "I'm sorry...?" "Is it evangelical?" Finally a question I could answer the way she wanted to hear. An answer that would end the conversation. "Yes." "What kind of a name is Epic? It should be 'Church of Christ' or 'Christ our Lord.' Those are good names for a church."

How does one answer this one? It is 7:30am, on a packed train, and there was not way I was even going to attempt to explain a church name that I'm not sure even I understand. So I shrugged, and again declined to accept the CD she was still waving at me.

"Do you have a friend who's pentecostal?" Now that one caught me off guard. What the heck kind of a question is that!? "Umm... yes." "You take this and give to them."

I conceeded defeat, accepted the CD, thanked her politely for the gift which I slipped into my bag, and she, somewhat mollified turned back around. I accepted the sympathetic looks of a number of fellow passengers who had watched this mini drama playing out in front of them with the grateful eyes of people who are not being accosted in the early morning quiet with some sort of purposeful evangelism. And I disembarked because we had reached my stop.

So, I've been evangelized. Don't you feel good about me? My boss, when I described the scene over lunch at work wondered if we're no evangelizing "within the fold." And are you all praying for me because I have a pentecostal friend? You should you know. I could end up becoming one!

Now that the sarcasm is out of the way, my second thought is somewhat more serious. All day yesterday and today, as I grieved, and prayed, and wept, and laughed, I have not been able to escape this scripture. I have no idea what to do with it, but it is one of those profound thoughts that refuses to go unrecorded.

"The stone the builder's rejected has become the capstone."

Tomorrow night we gather to pray and be in scripture. If you're in Calgary and would like to join us, call or email sometime tomorrow. If you can't join us, please, pray for and with us.