Unlikely Dinner Guests: Us!
As I sat at the table of a fine historical flat in the first
district, eating my Wiener Schnitzel under the watchful eyes of a late 17th
century family portrait, I kept hearing the inner-writer in me saying,
“Pay attention to every detail. This is a sacred moment.”
It was. Now, 4 days
later, I find myself recalling the evening, playing and replaying the events
making them my new favorite playlist in the imaginary iPod in my brain.
To give you a better picture of what I’m trying to paint,
let’s back up. Perhaps we need to back
up all the way to the day we first stepped feet on this continent. We had pictures, snapshots really, of meals
being shared, conversations being unveiled and hearts being born among
Austrians … sacred moments.
We are the most unlikely of candidates for a friendship with
our hosts. We are middle-aged Americans of
average education and have very little social grooming. Our hosts are eloquently aged with superior
education and have extreme social grooming.
They spoke of ancestors who contributed artifacts to museums, trips to
explore ancient roman architecture and glamorous experiences of attending balls
and operas. He greeted us at the door
suited in a traditional Austrian jacket.
She waltzed in, just in from the gym, dressed in a simple linen dress
which flattered her very fit figure highlighted by silky red lipstick, the only
makeup she wore … or needed.
The events that led up to this dinner are … inspired. Chris has been attending monthly business men’s
breakfasts. Seeing this as a language
help and an opportunity for building relationships, he has been faithfully
attending. On one of the first meeting
he met A and H (I don’t want to reveal their names until they give me their
permission.). She was gracious. He was friendly. Chris asked A why he
attended these meetings. A was
matter-of-fact and replied with this simple statement:
I am a Christian and I have a relationship with Jesus Christ.Chris left the meeting with a business card and a prayer that he might befriend them.
Now, let me interject a personal observation here. Austria’s statistics tell you that less than
1% of the population is evangelical/Bible believing Christians. In language I can understand, that’s the
number of people who say they have a personal relationship with God through
Jesus Christ. According to an April 18,
2004 Gallop poll, it would appear that in America 42% of the population are evangelical
Christians.
However, when taking a different approach and analyzing
respondents' answers to three questions that most evangelical leaders would say
are core evangelical doctrine, only 22% fit into this category. http://www.gallup.com/poll/16519/us-evangelicals-how-many-walk-walk.aspx
So, let’s play it safe and say that if you attended any
meeting, function, party in America it would not be hard to rub shoulders with
someone who would say “I am a Christian”.
Perhaps it would be harder, yet not impossible, to find someone as bold
as A and say “I believe in Jesus Christ”.
That just has not been our experience here.
A and H are a breath of fresh air. Monday morning, a random phone call followed
by a spontaneous dinner invitation for that same evening brought Chris and I
into their home. We were witnessing one
of those “snap shots” of ours coming to fruition.
A is a natural and skilled story teller. On several occasions he told stories about
his journeys in life. What I mostly appreciated and noticed was the ease in
which he spoke of his relationship with Christ.
It was as natural and non-threatening as speaking about the
weather. There were 3 other dinner
guests. I had no idea what their
opinions about God consisted of … although some clues were given. I don’t know if they had a faith in
Jesus. I don’t know if they aligned
themselves under the 1% statistics that would put them in the same category as
A. What I do know is that A drew me into
… and others at the table … a journey.
As he told of his experiences with God, I wanted to hear more and live
better.
I have to tell you one of his stories. Many years ago, he and his daughter were on a
hike. The clouds began to look threatening. As any little girl would, his daughter began
to fret. A then began to remind his daughter
of who controlled those clouds. He told
her that they were going to pray to Jesus Christ. They were going to offer their concerns, make
a request for dry weather, and then continue to hike. After they prayed, he told his daughter that
the weather was no longer their concern.
Jesus had heard their prayer and
whatever he wanted to do was not their concern, it was in Jesus’ hands.
As they hiked further, the clouds grew darker. They came upon a little hut but it was broken
down and could not offer any shelter for what looked like a future storm. They hiked on. Soon they approached another hut …
excellently preserved and the perfect shelter.
A ushered his young daughter through the wooden doors. As he stepped completely into the hut, the
rains came … and then hail. They,
however, were safe inside. The weather
was not their concern.
As I am getting older, I am seeing God in a different
light. As a young convert and believer
in Jesus Christ, I wanted to wave my banner.
I wanted to hold up my beliefs and demand that those who did not align
themselves with me repent and follow. I
now see those who don’t share my faith in Jesus not as outsiders but as members
of the same club … the human race.
Yes. I do believe what the Bible
says about God. There is only one way to
know Him. It’s not a mysterious path
with many roads. It’s one heart acknowledging
the need for a savior, a need that has been fully met through Jesus Christ. However, what if the 1% of Austrians and
42% (or 22%) of Americans lived with the same ease in their faith in Jesus
Christ as A? What if we spoke as naturally
and powerfully of a relationship that enhanced our lives rather than a religion
that needs to be followed? Jesus spoke
and people listened. He wasn’t shouting
out commands … or waving a “turn or burn” sign followed by protestors. He loved on the unlovely. He lived where most normal people lived and
brought his truth into lives that would never step foot into synagogues or rub
shoulders with the religious.
I’m still pondering my dinner with A and H. I’m still finding lessons in the evening …
what a great way to leave someone. This
may be my new goal. Perhaps my journey
as a follower of Christ is to speak with such ease and conviction that others
will leave my presence … wanting more.
Not more of me … but more of God.
I think this is the next “snap shot” I’m gonna strive for …
1 comments
Wow!! What an experience. What an awesome God to give you a new glimpse into how Big He is. I love it when He does that. Keep growing, Keep learning, and Keep discovering:-)
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