McDonalds Moment

So, I am sitting in McDonalds here in Huron, SD reading from the gospel of Matthew...and something interesting happens to me. Yesterday, I performed a wedding here in town with more than 400 people present. One of the people who "just happened" to be at that ceremony also "just happened" to enter the McDonalds where I was located. I didn't see them, as I was intent on reading, but they saw me. They introduced themselves to me and asked if I was the pastor who performed the Wedel wedding. I stated that I, indeed, was that pastor and they asked if they could sit down for a moment and chat. Of course, in the back of my mind I was thinking that I'm not here to talk, but to do my devotions. Thankfully, I'm not that rude, so I assured them that I would be open to visit with them. They grabbed a coffee and then grabbed a seat.

We had a very interesting conversation over the next several minutes. My meditation at the wedding was about how the marriage relationship is a picture of how Jesus loves His people, and how we as His people are to respond to that love. Jesus is our bridegroom...and every time we see how the bridegroom loves the bride, we see how Jesus loves His people. Every time we see the bride willingly giving herself in trust and faith to the leadership of her groom, we see how the church is to respond to Jesus' leadership. This was a new idea for this person, and they confessed that they had never pictured God as someone who loved us, but rather someone who sits in judgment over us. The more we talked, the more open he became to the idea of a loving and gracious God who sent His son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

Well, as our conversation ended, the person thanked me for my time and the new perspective he has gained about God. I asked him where he was on his journey, and if he was ready to commit himself to a God of love. His response was, "Not yet, but I do think I'm much closer now than I have ever been." And with that, our conversation was over and he was gone.

Now, here is where it gets very interesting. You see, the passage from Matthew I was pondering was from chapter 3, verses 1-12. In those verses we are told that John the Baptist was sent, not to save people, but as "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" This is not only the calling of John the Baptist, but the calling of every Christian. You and I can't save anyone. We have no power to alter their circumstances, control their choices, or change the condition of their spiritual state. Only Jesus can do that. But, whether its in a South Dakota McDonalds or any other location, we can at least "make straight the way." We can certainly seek to "prepare the way of the Lord" into the lives of people. We can share a word of testimony and be open to the opportunities He gives us.

So, wherever you happen to be as you read this, don't lose sight of the ultimate reason you are on this planet as a believer. You are one filled with His Spirit, informed by His Word, and directed to "make straight paths" for others to come to faith as you "make straight paths" through your life and witness. Don't miss the opportunities the Lord is giving you today. And if someone walks up to you and says, "Can we chat?", take the time to set aside your plans and be a witness. Who knows. The Lord just might use you to make a difference in the life of a person searching for hope.