Engaging the World

For those who lead in mission, service and peace ministries.

When the world comes to us

by Roberta Lussier and April Yamasaki

Saturday, December 27 might easily have been an uneventful day, one of those few days after Christmas when we tend to stick close to home, spending just a little more time with family and friends. Last winter especially, we had more snow than usual causing many churches to cancel their Christmas Eve services. Also due to the snow and holidays, I (Roberta), wasn’t able to finish printing the Sunday bulletin during the week as I had planned. So that wintry Saturday afternoon, when most people were keeping warm at home, I happened to be alone at the church preparing for Sunday.

That afternoon, two young, Indo-Canadian women braved the cold to make a visit to somewhere they had never been. A church. When they came to the door, they explained that they had never been in a church before, only to the Sikh Temple. But one of the women said she had a dream the night before that she needed to go to a church. Without hesitation, they ventured out. Would it be alright if they came in?

Together we went and sat quietly in the church sanctuary. They asked a few questions, but mainly we sat in silence. They commented on how relaxing and peaceful it felt to them. And when they were ready to go, they pulled out three boxes of chocolates from a bag they had brought. “These are an offering for the congregation,” they explained. “In the Temple we bring sweets or milk, and we leave it as an offering in the Sanctuary. It is then shared among the congregation in the banquet hall, meant to bring them and the ones who offered it blessings.” I thanked them for their generosity.

Prayer became not only a way of connecting with God, but a way also of connecting with others.

The women expressed their appreciation for being able to visit the church especially since they were from out of town and would be leaving the next day. I thanked them again for coming and for their gift, and let them know they would always be welcome to return. We said our goodbyes, and they disappeared back out into the cold and snow.

On Sunday morning, I (April) was surprised to find a bag with three boxes of chocolates hanging on my office doorknob. After I read Roberta’s note about the two women and their offering, I was excited to share the story with the rest of the congregation too—how two young strangers had answered a call to open their hearts to God and to offer us a blessing as a church. The boxes of chocolates were opened and placed at our Welcome Center for sharing after the worship service. One of our members was so moved that she wrote a thank you card to the two women and left it at the church office in case they ever returned.

Many times, we may think of prayer as something that is done in or by the church, and engaging the world in prayer as praying for various needs around the world. But in this case, prayer also became a way for the world to engage us. A young woman had a dream, which led to three women sitting in prayerful contemplation, which led to the whole congregation receiving a blessing, which led to a spontaneous expression of thanks to two strangers. Prayer became not only a way of connecting with God, but a way also of connecting with others.

When our church was built more than twenty years ago, it was on the edge of town and surrounded by empty lots. Today, as the city has grown, we have many neighbors. Young mothers and their children sometimes cut across the parking lot on their way to or from home. A group of women like to park their cars at the church and go walking together through some nearby trails. Some of the Punjabi-speaking men of the neighborhood like to sit and talk on the side of the church building. One time a homeless man was found sleeping inside the church. How do we engage this world in prayer? How do we allow them to engage us?

Our Gracious God and Lord of All, we confess our limited understanding and practice of prayer—the times we have neglected to pray, or have prayed only for ourselves and our own family and friends. Open our eyes and our hearts to those around us. Enlarge our prayers. Engage us in your world, and make us willing for your world to engage us. Amen.

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Roberta Lussier serves as church secretary for Emmanuel Mennonite Church in Abbottsford, British Columbia.

April Yamasaki serves as lead pastor at Emmanuel Mennonite Church. She recently completed her term on the Leader editorial committee.