Unexpected Ministry
One of our groups this week has been working with Safe Haven, a government sponsored children’s program that runs at the church. Jim, a father of one our participants, has been helping to lead the youth doing this ministry. The kids at Safe Haven took an instant liking to him, dubbing him “Jimbo.” Their last day with the kids was yesterday, and several of them gave Jimbo the gospel bracelets they had made that day. The bracelets had beads of different colors each relating to an aspect of the gospel.
Later on in the day, Jim led a group of kids and some of our participants out to do an ABC’s scavenger hunt. But the kids weren’t the only ones with something to find. As Jim walked around the neighborhood, he found a man sitting on a stoop. His name was Sam. They started chatting. As they talked, their conversation grew deeper and they spoke about religion and Christ and faith. Jim took one of the bracelets that the kids had given him and gave it to Sam, explaining what each color meant.
Black represents that we are sinners in need of a savior. Red represents the blood Christ shed for those sins, so that God’s righteous judgment could be satisfied and our relationship with him repaired. White represents our new condition in Christ, purified and righteous before God because Christ died for our sins. Yellow represents how we now as believers shine God’s light and love to those around us so that they too can find salvation. Green represents how we continue to walk with Christ and grow in our faith.
What a simple message. And what a simple representation of that message. When Jim woke up that morning, he probably couldn’t have told you the path that God would lay out for him to do his good work that day. But how beautifully it all played out!
-God called him to come with the youth group to Chicago
-where I then assigned him to the Safe Haven group
-where he made such an impact on the kids
-that the kids gave him their gospel bracelets
-so that when they went on a walk around the block
-Jim could share the gospel with Sam and give him one of these bracelets
I don’t know what Sam is doing now. I don’t know if he’s given his life to Christ or is going on with his life as if nothing happened. But maybe that talk with Jim was all he could think about that night, and he called out to God because of it. Or maybe he forgot all about Jim but weeks from now he’ll pull that bracelet out of a pocket of his jeans and remember, and think on the Lord.
I don’t know what happened with Sam. And that’s okay. It’s not our job to know every detail of what happens next. It’s not our job to know exactly where our day is headed and what we can accomplish for the Lord. It’s just our job to be obedient to the Lord in every moment and every opportunity he throws our way.
Jim was obedient. He started the day thinking he’d just be playing with kids and that was that. But through that the Lord gave him another opportunity. He called Jim to share God’s love with a stranger. And Jim obeyed.
