I stared in shock and almost stopped leading the song \u201cNearer, My God, to Thee\u201d as she walked through the door of our little country church. Long, stringy hair hung over her eyes, her slight frame lost in baggy clothes. She stood in the doorway, looking around the crowd as if searching for help.<\/p>\n
What is she doing here, interrupting our church service? <\/em>I thought, my face heating with irritation. Can\u2019t she see we are worshiping God? <\/em><\/p>\n Kevin, my husband and the pastor, stood up from his place at the piano and gently guided the stranger into the vestibule. We continued with our service. But every eye was on the door, waiting to see if Kevin would return with or without the mysterious lady.<\/p>\n A few tense moments passed before both of them reentered the sanctuary. Kevin took his seat at the piano and the stranger stayed, sitting in the second row. She sang the hymns without a book, never missing a word. She even participated in the praise and sharing time, raising her hand when I asked for prayer requests. \u201cMy name is Tammy, and I\u2019d like you to pray for my only brother, Joel, who needs a heart transplant.\u201d She went into great detail about Joel\u2019s health issues, as if we all knew him.<\/p>\n Where did she come from? Why is she here? <\/em>I couldn\u2019t help but wonder. Our church is six miles away from the nearest town and on the way to almost nowhere. Rarely do we receive visitors who just happen by.<\/p>\n In between shaking hands and chatting with our church members as they left, Kevin told me that Tammy\u2019s brakes on her car were slipping and she needed help to fix them. Someone at her job had told her of a mechanic in our congregation. So she came when she knew people would be here \u2014 during our worship service!<\/p>\n It\u2019s true; one of our deacons, Dallas Johnson, is a superb mechanic. He wasn\u2019t available to help Tammy, but Fred and Grace, a couple known for their generosity, gave Tammy a check to cover her car repair. She thanked all of us profusely and went on her way.<\/p>\n At lunch I confessed to Kevin that my priorities were out of order. \u201cI was offended that Tammy interrupted our worship,\u201d I said. \u201cYet what does God count more worshipful than helping someone in need? Aren\u2019t we called to not only gather, sing praises, and hear the Word of God but also to reach out to \u2018the least of these\u2019 like Tammy?\u201d<\/p>\n I knew the answer to my question. I could even quote Jesus\u2019 words to His disciples: \u201c\u2018Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me\u2019\u201d(Matthew 25:40). From now on, I\u2019d have a different view of strangers in our midst.<\/p>\n Tammy\u2019s visit was a month ago. She\u2019s not been back to worship with us since. But I\u2019m grateful for the gift she gave me \u2014 that divine interruption. It changed my thinking from \u201cdoing church\u201d to \u201cbeing the church.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I stared in shock and almost stopped leading the song \u201cNearer, My God, to Thee\u201d as she walked through the door of our little country church. Long, stringy hair hung over her eyes, her slight frame lost in baggy clothes. She stood in the doorway, looking around the crowd as if searching for help. What […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":328,"featured_media":4911,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[87,1218,1217,137,262,1219,244],"yoast_head":"\n