Long Way Here

On this day in 2017 I had a providential encounter with a man from Chile. His name is Paulo. He joined us for our worship gathering the previous Sunday at WCC. He chose our Church because the uncle and aunt he was visiting lives three blocks away.

Paulo’s life was turned upside down and his heart broken. Even though almost one year prior he had come to believe that Jesus is Lord, he told me something was missing in his relationship with God. He decided to visit America to take a break from his job and normal surroundings so he could spend two weeks praying. He wanted an answer from God about the questions that troubled his heart and the circumstances that flipped his life upside down.

For one week he walked the city every day begging God to hear him. In his words, “I have cried many tears.” That day around mid-morning he was sitting in his uncle’s car parked in front of Aroma’s Coffee Shop crying out to God to give him an answer. After two hours of praying he went in for a cup of coffee. I recognized him. So I approached and said hello, asking if he was at WCC that Sunday. He recognized me. He nervously asked if we could talk. I was on my way out for an errand and was planning to go about the rest of my busy day. But despite my plans and other appointments, I felt the Lord tugging at me to allow my day to be interrupted. So I asked him to give me half an hour and I would return.

I came back to Aromas and met with him. He told me about his spiritual pilgrimage and what led him here. We talked about Jesus. He told me that even though he believed that Jesus is Lord he never knew about baptism. After reading the Scriptures together (in Spanish) he began to cry. He said, “This is what God needed to tell me. When can I get baptized?” So we left the coffee shop for the church building.

This is a picture of me, Garrett, Dave, and Paulo after his baptism. Before we left he said, “My tears of sorrow are now tears of joy!” He shared his story with WCC the next Sunday.

Only the Lord of heaven and earth can bring a man from half a world away to a “chance” encounter like this. Divine interruptions like these still amaze me. Happy baptism birthday Paulo!

Theologian Kosuke Koyama imagined Jesus says this to those who see him upon death:

“You’ve had a difficult journey. You must be tired, and dirty. Let me wash your feet. The banquet’s ready.”

I need that image tonight.

I’m gonna say this here in case you need to see it. The God of the Christian tradition understood to be the God of heaven and earth, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob revealed as Jesus of Nazareth, loves you just as you are, not as you think you should be. In a world fraught with a million tensions and traumas, I realize that statements like this sometimes fall short or come off trite.

Still, there is Jesus, the One revealed in the Christian Scriptures. In the midst of all the tensions and traumas of humanity the story reveals One who loves and suffers with us, promising something more to us, something that speaks to what we feel is possible deep in our bones. He promises the transcendent and mysterious—something bigger than what we see and hear and feel. And while we wait for it to be revealed, he promises to make his presence known to all who long for it and anticipates its fulfillment. We are assured that none of us are the sum total of our worst decisions, or even our best decisions. Jesus declares each one of us intrinsically valuable and full of divine dignity, from the top of our head to the soles of our feet. You are loved beyond your feelings of worthiness or unworthiness.

There are many convoluted portrayals of Jesus in the USA. I know, because I’ve contributed to the problem. But there’s always the Jesus revealed in the Christian Scriptures. He’s the One I hope you’ll look at. He’s the One I hope you’ll hear say, “You are my beloved.”