Church Experience in Paris

 Night View of Eiffel Tower, Paris

I guess you must be intrigued by the title. For those who have little idea about France’s spirituality, France is descried as ‘mission graveyard’, especially for Paris because of the highly materialist society.

I was in Paris to visit two of my fellow interns this holiday, and I went to their church (in which their father is the pastor at that church) on Sunday. This church isn’t what the church building you have in your mind, we met at a local café shop! Maybe you are thinking it must be a really big café in order to cater the whole church; in fact there were only 20 people (max) in this church! We didn’t have a band playing during worship; in fact there wasn’t anyone playing any instrument at all (apart from the tiny little instrument that was played by my friends’ father)! Worship was sang by just vocals (us interns sang Here For You in English to kick start the worship), and occasionally followed the song that are played by iPod. If it were in St. Aldates with no band, no instruments, songs played through iPod, it’s gonna be disaster! None of the leaders would allow this to happen. But don’t look down on this little church, it taught me a lot!

What I saw were 20 authentic worshippers praising God, prayers came out naturally from their mouths. Even though I don’t understand French at all, I could feel the passion that they have for God, for the people and for the nation. It just kept on going and going for ages, worshipping and praying and praising. During worship, one of the ladies had a Scripture of Revelations 3:7-12 – Jesus spoke to the church in Philadelphia:

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Revelations 3:7-12

The lady spoke from the French bible, but when I read my English translation I was in tears, because I know that it was what God was saying to His beloved church who perseveres in the mist of sufferings. I know of the story of this church from them how previously church leaders were corrupted and turned against each other because of sin. They are broken people because they were betrayed by those they once trusted. But there is one thing that doesn’t change, their love for God, which can be shown fully in their worship. I am humbled by their faithfulness, their heart for God, their love for one another and their willingness to trust Christians again. I am also humbled by my friends’ father who simply perseveres, remind faithful to do what God has entrusted him to do – minister to the sheep whom God has given him. They are just simple people with pure and sincere hearts.

I looked back to this tern being an intern at St. Aldates, there are times that I just don’t feel like doing what I am doing, especially those ‘tasks’ are so tiny that nobody would notice! But if we are not faithful to small things He has encountered us, how would God entrust us with big things? A couple weeks ago I asked God to show me what it is on His heart. It seems He has already answered me through this trip, in His own way, as usual.

03.01.2013

Paris / Oxford