As I drove away from St. Stephen’s Anglican Church on that Friday afternoon my mind was racing. Why had I stopped? Why had I gone inside to enquire? What was happening with me? What was I going to do with the service times that I had gotten from the minister’s wife?
When Val arrived home I found myself announcing to her with all boldness and conviction that we were going to church on Sunday. Well you could have knocked her over with a feather. When she asked why, I told her about my afternoon, and said I don’t know why but we are going. Well I was anyway.
Sunday morning 23rd August 1978. I will never forget that date! It was the day that turned my life around 180 degrees.
We arrived as a family at about 08:45 am. The sidewalk on both sides of the road outside the church building was packed with cars. I didn’t know that going to church was this popular. We parked the car and walked up the driveway to the small building. I noticed an elderly lady watching us as we approached.
She had that same countenance as Ozzie and Ruth. A glow!
She came forward to greet us with outstretched arms, gave Val and me a big hug (what was with these people – just like Ozzie and Ruth), and introduced herself as Olive Bird. I introduced our family. After fussing over Nadia and Daryl she turned, looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Jack the Lord has a great plan for your life.”
Who is the Lord… my life? I was quite happy with the way things were. Nice home in a lovely suburb. Brand new Audi. Working for myself. What could be better? Little did I know?
Olive ushered us inside and I was planning a back row seat. No chance. That place was packed… wall to wall people. And man, what a vibe. I was always taught that you didn’t talk inside a church building. Maybe whisper if it was urgent. But this! These people were alive in the utmost sense of the word. There must have been about 180 folk packed in there and they were all talking at once, out loud. And happy with faces all aglow. Like a big family reunion.
Enter Batman. You know… the guy who dresses like mother but you call him father. I take it this must be Allan the minister. No formal procession, he just walks down the aisle greeting folks like he was one of them. They really seem pleased to see him and vice versa. I still did not know what brought me to this place but I was beginning to feel comfortable. This was… well nice.
Allan gets to the front, welcomes everyone, prays and then the next thing we have piano, organ and guitar breaking into an upbeat song. Spontaneously all jump to their feet, start clapping in time to the music and doing a sort of dance. Not the way I danced at parties and clubs. It was a sort of happy little jig. I found myself joining in dancing, clapping and singing along with them. The words to the song were projected onto a big screen, and just as well because no one could hold a song book in their hands.
The songs were all about Jesus and “Father God”. The tempo slows down after about three or four songs and the people seem to be awestruck. Raising their hands above there heads as if reaching out to Someone. It is as though they were singing a love song and it would not be many days before I would be doing the same thing. Fully understanding this act of love and adoration.
This was no ordinary Anglican Church. Oh they did some of the things I remembered from twenty years ago. You know like the announcements, the prayers for the sick, the collection, scripture readings and the sermon but they did them with feeling and meaning. Almost as though they were communicating with a real being some where. This was real, not recital. This was alive. This was exciting. This was doing something on the inside of me. I did not understand.
At the end of the sermon Allan said something like, “If anyone would like to know more about this Jesus that we have been talking about then please come back into the building after you have had a cup of tea”. He dismissed us with a prayer.
Pouring out of that building was a mass of joyful, bubbling people. The tea time was just as vibrant as the service had been. The people just could not stop talking about Jesus. Many folk came to introduce themselves. Genuine. Laid back. Nothing planned. I could sense a real loving concern for us.
Allan made a call for those who were interested to come back into the church. With no hesitation at all I started for the door with Val following close behind. I was on a mission not of my own petition. A jolly young man also dressed in his clerical garb invited us to take a seat or rather a pew. Rob sat on the pew in front of us, turned around and leaned over the backrest of his pew. With a big warm smile on his face he asked, “What would you like to know about Jesus?” Neither he nor Val were expecting what happened next.
Tears just started streaming down my cheeks and then I began to sob uncontrollably. Nadia and Daryl who had been playing with the other youngsters outside came in to see what was wrong with their dad. They had never seen me cry before. (This by the way, men crying or rather not crying, is a big problem in society. More about this in a later chapter.) Val reassured them that I was alright and they ran out to play again.
No one said a word as I just continued to cry for what seemed to be an eternity. When I managed to stop sobbing Rob said not to worry it was the Lord touching me. I don’t think he actually knew what to do or say. We left without any further words being spoken. I spent a very subdued afternoon and evening. No beers!
Monday morning shortly after eight o’clock found me knocking on Allan’s door. He immediately invited me in. I don’t know what he was busy with but I am sure that he realised that I needed answers. He was right. I wanted to know what had happened to me yesterday. Today I felt different. I just had this tremendous peace within me. But why? He gave me a little booklet entitled “The Gospel According to St. John” and asked me to read it and then come back to see him.
Without knowing it I was holding in my hand a portion of the Bible. I really was un-churched. I had never possessed a Bible or so I thought. Until in 2002 when I moved down to Ficksburg in the Eastern Free State I discovered a King James Bible in one of my boxes. On the fly page was this inscription, To Jackie, with love from Mum and Dad 1956. I have no idea what the occasion was and since both my parents have already passed away I cannot not ask. I was thirteen back then.
Well I read the booklet, going over passages and chapters again and again. I needed to understand what was happening. Over the next two weeks the penny began to drop. An understanding of being born again began to take root within me. I finally got to the end of the booklet and there was a prayer. I am sure you know it or something similar. On 4th September 1978 I prayed that prayer and in so doing I verbalised the fact that I had chosen to make Jesus Christ the Lord of my life.
Olive Bird was right. God did have a plan for my life and it was not too long before he started revealing that plan to me. I was on the most exciting journey of my life.
The road has not always been smooth. I have experienced that scripture that says strait is the gate and narrow is the path… the two words narrow and strait in the Greek imply that the entrance and the path travelled are filled with obstacles.
Many Christians try by all means to bypass these obstacles but never with success. You see God put those there for a purpose. That purpose is to bring us to maturity in our walk with Him and in our dealings with people. Not to punish us.
Without this maturity we will never truly see God and experience all that He has prepared for us.
Today God our Heavenly Father is busy preparing a people who will become the Church that He has in His heart. The Church that Jesus is building. A church without walls. A church built upon the only true foundation… Jesus. A church where Jesus is the head and the Holy Spirit is in control. A church that overflows with the love of God which He continually pours into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. A church which knows no discrimination of any kind, where kings and paupers sit side by side bonded together by God’s unconditional love.
That is the church of my dreams. It is a journey into the Heart of God, there to discover His eternal plan for the body of Christ. I invite you to join me on this exciting journey.
May the love of God and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always.
With much love,
Jack.
