Glimpses of God - Day Sixteen

Last Sunday I was asked by my good friend, Stephen, the head Pastor at The Mustard Seed Street Church to come visit them.  Their worship service was scheduled for 1:30pm that day. Since I had plenty of time before I needed to get back to St. John’s to preside at Evensong I decided to head down to the Mustard Seed, visit with my friend and check things out.  I arrived at the Chapel at 1:25pm, only to discover the door was locked.  I peered inside and could see a small gathering of people, I knocked on the glass door, smiling and waving, but no one saw me, I tried another door off to the side, but no luck, that one was locked too.  I walked back to the front door again to try one more time, when a lovely, friendly female face threw the door open saying, “Reverend, I see you!  Come on in!”  

I entered the noisy Chapel space.  Folk were chatting loudly, guitars were being tuned up and bodies were busily moving in every direction.  There was a strong smell of old cigarette smoke in the air, and an enormous wooden cross on the small back wall of the worship stage. My senses felt overwhelmed.  I found my friend, gave him a hug and thanked him for the invitation to come worship. After a warm welcome and announcements we went straight into praise music, accompanied by drums and guitars. I felt a bit out of place at this moment because I’d had no previous experience with the Baptist Church, nor their style of worship, it all had a very Evangelical feel to it.  

After worship I chatted with my friend and made plans with him and his wife to have a longer visit over supper and drinks, then I spent the next 20 minutes eating pie, meeting folk and simply observing. What I witnessed within this small, chaotic, noisy Chapel space was a sanctuary of compassion, love and affirmation, I saw the Pastors saying hello to and hugging members of the street family saying, “Praise God, we’re so glad you’re here with us today.” - there was a palpable sense of care for folk that couldn’t be ignored, this truly was a place where Glimpses of God’s love were deeply woven into all the wonderful noise and chaos of a Street Church.  And while I may have felt slightly out of place because of my Anglican sensibilities, I was also warmly welcomed and cared for during my visit, just as all God’s people were who walked through those Chapel doors that Sunday afternoon.

Isaiah 58.6-8

Is not this the fast that I choose:
   to loose the bonds of injustice,
   to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
   and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
   and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
   and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
   and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
   the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard.