The good example

The streets are lined with snow sculptures that look like frothy ocean waves in mid-break, frozen in place by a fairy's magic wand.

But it's not so fun standing at the gas pump to fill your tank, especially when you get the slow one, and the little metal gadget that holds the nozzle open is broken. So said the preacher on Sunday during a series of sermons the pastoral team is doing on reaching out to our fellow man.

He related to us that as he was shivering there, an old car pulled up to the other side of the service island. A woman emerged who was fishing through her pocketbook. There was a sign posted, notifying patrons that if they are using cash, they must pre-pay inside.

The pastor was having an internal dialogue that went like this: "Go pay for her gas." "No, that's ridiculous." "Just do it." "No, that's crazy."

He found himself walking over to the woman and saying, "How about I just swipe my card for you?" The woman looked predictably suspicious and said, "Why?" The pastor answered, "Well, I'm here, and you're here, and I've got it, so I would like to." She replied, "If you really want to." He swiped and moved back to resume his own fill (which had stopped because there was no little thingie that would have kept the gas flowing).

After the woman had finished pumping her gas, she reappeared from the other side of the island and, with wet eyes, said, "Thank you. No one has ever done that for me."

I left the worship service edified. I am amazed at the power of another person's testimony on my life. Though the pastor never mentioned the Holy Spirit per se, I could see that he had yielded himself to the Spirit's promptings, much as Jesus had by the well in Samaria. Isn't it good that God is alive and still speaks? No extra-canonical revelation this, just the continuing presence of God in our lives that he promised: "I will give you another Helper, to be with you forever" (John 14:16).

One man's act of faith, when shared with the church, is like that little seed that dies, and in its death keeps multiplying, all out of proportion to the investment-thirty-, sixty-, or a hundredfold. This is the way of God's kingdom.

To hear commentaries by Andrée Seu, click here.