Church at Its Best- Romans 12:5

Church at Its Best- Romans 12:5

I sat down on the curb next to him.  I think he may have been six or seven, his glazed eyes staring out from a dirty mask- like face.  Only three days had passed since February 27th when the fifth largest earthquake in recorded history destroyed this boy´s home in rural Chile.  He didn’t answer when I asked him his name, but he held tightly to a yellow checkered bag that a Sunday school teacher had just given to him.  I suggested that we look inside the bag together, and when he didn’t respond, I gently opened it for him. 

First I pulled out a pencil and asked the boy, “What is this?”  He slowly fixed his eyes on the pencil, but he could not answer me.  “Pencil,” I said and handed it to him.  Then I took up a toothbrush.  I asked the boy, “what is this?”  His blank eyes tried to focus.  “Toothbrush,” I said, and he softly repeated, “toothbrush,” a small glimmer of recognition flitting across his face.  Then I held up a comb, and before I could speak, he stammered, “c-c-c-omb, comb.” “Yes!” I exclaimed, “It is a comb!”  Little by little we worked our way through the bag, and by the time we finished identifying all of the objects, he was smiling and speaking with confidence.

The health and school kits shared with the children in Chile after the disaster are an example of Church at its best.  The school supplies were collected by congregations of the Pentecostal Church of Chile while the health kits travelled with art supplies in suitcases that came from churches all over the United States. We are the Body of Christ sitting patiently on the curb and bringing hope to a little boy with sparkling eyes. 

God, helps us be Church at its best this Lenten season. Amen

Elena Huegel, a member of Iglesia Cristiana Ebenezer, Los Fresnos, Texas, serves the Pentecostal Church of Chile (IPC). She is an environmental and Christian education specialist.