The Police

The police came to church this Sunday—not to worship, but on an official call. We’ve had paramedics more than once, but I don’t remember ever seeing two policemen calmly walk down the aisle during the sermon to the front of the church.

The reason was that, early in the service, a homeless young man meandered down the rows of pews to the very first pew of the middle section. He was obviously dirty, and he was noticeably smelly, even from where we were seated near the back. Throughout the service, he moved around on that pew, occasionally standing or changing to the second pew. At one point, during the sermon, he even approached the chancel table in front of the pulpit—he laid a piece of paper there. It was obvious that he has “issues.” During this time, a member intercepted and redirected him more than once with only short-term results. It only made him agitated and, I was told later, belligerent.

 

As I watched this young man’s behavior, I prayed that the Lord would direct an angel to sit with him, arm around his shoulders, to help him settle down. I prayed the Holy Spirit would free him from the troubling spirit and power of the enemy. I prayed and wondered who else was praying.

 

Our church’s second service is broadcast on a local radio station, so the listeners would not have known what was happening. Our pastor kept speaking on Acts 1:7-8 out of which he had pulled two main themes from Jesus’ words that point to God’s sovereign will and love: God’s timing and God’s mission.

 

Time, both the quantity and quality, are fixed by the Lord and are under His plan and strategy. He owns both the process of time and the actual events of time. In fact, both belong to Him.

 

This truth is to give us confidence and spur us to be about our business which is His mission—the mission to do what we’ve been appointed to do through the power that comes from the Holy Spirit’s presence in us which is to take the same love and grace we’ve received and extend it to others.

 

So, I was saddened when the two policemen appeared to escort the young man out of the building and off the premises—I saw him later hanging out on the lawn of a nearby office complex. If our God is sovereign over time—both the when and the what happens, then this young man’s presence in church today was not a surprise to the Lord. Perhaps, even, one could say, we were set up.

 

With the sermon complete, the radio broadcast ended, and with the young man out of the building but not out of our minds, the worship director prayed for him. After prayer, many of us were wiping away tears. I pray it was the Lord’s Spirit at work awakening us. Today is the day to be grace extenders, to be about His mission.

 

We need your grace, Lord. And we need to desperately extend your grace.

 

You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:1 (CSB)