Just two Fridays ago, I was in Washington DC applying for a visa to work in France. I stayed for a long weekend, my boyfriend from Paris joining me, and we had a grand time exploring museums and urban trails and quirky neighborhoods. An absolutely lovely time. During that weekend, I occasionally thought about how I missed being associated with a particular church community. There were many things coming to mind that I missed in church communities, and I felt a longing rise within me to be able to give to the Church. So I had a conversation with God about it. I asked to be shown how I could give to the Church in this time of my own personal transition.
That following Monday morning, I took an Uber to Reagan National Airport. My Uber driver, W, was kind, friendly and thoughtful. Normally, I like a silent Uber ride. But with W, I wanted to enjoy a conversation. We talked about traffic and weather, the importance of prayer, the value of kindness, and she shared some past rider stories. We talked just a bit about Covid-19 (DC didn’t announce their first cases until later that day). She mentioned she and her husband had talked about whether she should keep driving due to the potential Covid-19 health risks, and she felt she should because they need her paycheck.
We pulled up to the Delta drop-off curb. It was 7am and there was the usual, hectic chaos you’d expect for an urban airport at that time. I hopped out of the car wanting to beat W to get my luggage. Seriously, I’m cool handling my own luggage. Too late. She’s there. And not only does she lift my suitcase from the trunk, but she also bends down to the ground to pick up my tin of Altoids that fell from my purse. Ugh. We say a quick goodbye and offer each other a blessing as the traffic guard whistles for W to move her car. As she drives away, I reach into my purse for my phone so I can give W a tip on the Uber app. But there’s no phone in my purse or in any of my pockets. The Altoid tin wasn’t the only thing to drop from my purse. No sign of it on the curb as W’s car drove around a curve and out of sight.
Well, after a few hours and a flight halfway across the country, I connected with W. She had found my phone in the backseat of her car. She was willing to FedEx it to me and we worked out all the details. A few days later, my wandering phone was back in my hands.
As I was waited for my phone, I kept thinking about how I experienced God’s love and grace through W. She was the presence of Christ to me when I really needed it. And I remembered the conversation I had with God in DC about wanting to find a way to give to the Church. W was doing the work of the Church in the way she lived her life.
Last Friday, I put a thank you card in the mail to W. I told her how much I appreciated what she did for me and how I experienced God’s love and grace through her. Then I shared with her my conversation with God about wanting to give to the Church. I told her I believe the Church is more than a building or denomination, that it is people doing the work of God with love in this world. And that for me, she acted in the heart of the Church. I included a couple of gift cards with the thank you note.
W called me yesterday. She received my card, which she wasn’t expecting, and wanted to thank me. She said her work with Uber has cut down tremendously, people are not calling for rides. She said she was experiencing God’s love and grace through my actions. Together, we were thankful that God was caring for each of us through the other. We agreed that we all need each other, and that we need to be the Church for each other.
It was an inconvenience to lose my phone, track it down and wait days to have it back. It was an inconvenience for W to have to work out the details and make the efforts to return my phone to me. But the blessing of solidarity, support and love W and I experienced far outweighed the inconveniences we endured.
Timing matters. Sometimes what seems like an inconvenience can actually be an opportunity for God to be at work in our lives in unexpected ways. These days may feel like perilous times, but I think these can be sacred days. Opportunities are here for us to be the expression of God’s love, grace and provision for one another. Together, we are the Church and we need each other.
