A Beautiful Mess
Be careful what you pray for!” I’ve heard that cliche in Christian circles throughout the years, and most often, it’s shared in the context of God doing something surprising or outside of our comfort zones. The more I pray, the more I seem to experience a mix of two elements:
Events transpire that God is clearly ordaining.
It is typically different than I originally envisioned.
I recently spoke about Pentecost at our regional Bible Camp and shared how what started in an upper room soon grew into a revival of 3,000 souls (Acts 2:41). I joked about how messy that must have been for the disciples. What began as a cozy and powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit quickly grew to the masses around them―3000 people! That is an amazing harvest, but the weariness in me thinks that’s 3000 needy sinners, each with their own demands, histories, and baggage. What a… mess!
God has brought a mess into our church this year. We, like many other congregations in the Lutheran Brethren, are relatively small and have many members who simply don’t have the physical capacity to serve like they once did. This has been a challenge for us. We still have a desire for outreach and to engage the community God has placed us in, yet we don’t have the resources we once had to reach out like in the past. Still, we know we have a God who holds all things in his hands, and he invites us to “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matt 9:38, NKJV).
So, we prayed. It was a mix of frustration, desire, and hope that God would still use us as a church to have a part in his harvest.
As this was happening, my wife Kirsten felt led to personally meet our neighbors. She invited the ladies on our street over to her home for a monthly dinner. These events wouldn’t resemble a traditional outreach. It was a simple connection and conversation with neighbors over a meal. Through these regular gatherings, she’s formed friendships. One evening, Kirsten received a text from one of those friends regarding a local man who needed space to serve soup to locals who are food insecure. He’d been running the “Food Source Foundation” for several years out of his home and had amassed a group of volunteers who prepared and distributed the food. They had outgrown his kitchen and they needed a larger space from which to operate.
This opportunity came as a surprise, and a stretch for us. Yes, we’d been praying for ways to engage the community through our church, but this was different than we expected! None of the folks who run this service are Christians, yet they are doing valuable and meaningful work for the needy. Could we partner with this group? It took a fair amount of conversation within our membership before we decided to move forward. Despite the concerns, there was too much evidence to ignore God’s involvement in bringing this together. So we opened our doors to this ministry early this Spring.
Since we’ve begun, I’ve heard more people swear on our property than ever before, I’ve had people vocalize their anger at God, or the idea of God. I’ve heard pain and hurts that people have carried from their past interactions with the Christian church. I’ve had some try to draw me into arguments or disputes on politics and social issues, and I’ve had my sermon preparation interrupted more than once. In short, it’s messy.
But I would be deeply remiss if I failed to see God’s hand in all of this. What is happening is an answer to our prayers! We have been praying for outreach, and this is providing a regular point of contact with people who would typically never step foot inside a church. Something is taking place in our hearts as well, we are becoming thankful for the mess, and we’re filled with joy when we see the evidence of the Lord’s hand at work. It is something beautiful.
The Lord has affirmed what he is doing, and here are just a few examples:
They initially needed storage, refrigerator space, and use of our kitchen to prepare and cook. We weren’t sure how that would work, but before we were able to address these needs, a cannery next door came open for rent. It has storage and refrigeration already installed! Food Source was able to move into that space and is able to cook there as well. This reduced the demand on our church to simply hosting.
Folks from our church are volunteering to be on-site while the soup is distributed, giving those interested a connection into our area they didn’t have before.
I have developed friendships and have had conversations in my office that are laying the groundwork for future gospel proclamation.
As we’ve shared our journey in this story with the people in Food Source, they respond with amazement, and we see a mutual trust developing.
Random people in the wider community of Olympia have learned of our church after hearing about our partnership with Food Source.
This journey is still very much in process, and through it I’ve been reminded that God has invited me to enter into his presence through the work of Jesus Christ. He is patient with my mess, and forgiving of my sinfulness. He lovingly listens to my prayers, even when they’re tainted by my own pain and desires. My story is messy and also beautiful. This has stirred my heart towards those we are meeting through Food Source. They are fellow sinners that God loves deeply, and our prayers are turning to the hope that they will someday become fellow saints.
I’m realizing I don’t want to be careful for what I pray for. I want to become grateful for what I pray for. God answers our prayers, and while that will often be in unexpected ways, may our hearts become increasingly grateful for the Lord’s ability to make beauty in the mess.
David Pierce is Pastor at Peace Lutheran Brethren Church in Olympia, WA.