While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. (Acts 17:16-17)

Some years ago, my husband and I visited the marketplace in Athens, Greece where St. Paul walked amid many altars to various gods including one to an unknown god. It made a vivid impression on us as we walked where he walked and stood on Mars Hill where he preached to the crowd. On Ash Wednesday this year, I worshiped in a way that showed his type of evangelism is still ongoing.

We spend most of the winter months in South Beach, Miami, Florida. A pedestrian mall (that stretches for about a mile) is near the condo we rent. Both sides of the mall are lined with stores selling every type of item you can possibly think of. Plus, among the palm trees and fountains lining the middle of the mall are rows of outside restaurants and stands selling fruit, flowers, nuts, etc. A plethora of different types of live and piped music blares out all along the way as one strolls down the promenade. Street entertainers and beggars weave in and out trying to attract the attention of people strolling by. Amid this (dare I say pagan-idolatry) hubbub stands the church we attend. It is built in the style of a Spanish mission with a beautiful palm-lined courtyard running along one side. The clergy have told us that approximately 5,000 people pass by the church each day. It sounds quite a bit like the marketplace St. Paul found in Athens doesn't it?

This year there is a new Pastor at the church. When called, he was told the church wanted to increase their membership – i.e., evangelism was important to them. Pastor Thompson is doing evangelism in many innovative ways. Traditionally, Ash Wednesday services are held in both the afternoon and evening at the church. This year, he elected to hold both services outside in the courtyard.

I attended the evening service. Approximately 50 folding chairs were set up with their backs to the busy mall. A simple card table covered with a white tablecloth was in front of the chairs and on it a small, plain wooden cross. The pastor and one choir member came, fully robed, to lead the service. A couple of ushers stood at the entrance to the courtyard welcoming worshipers and inviting others who simply stopped to see what was going on to come in and worship with us.

We were told that passing people would likely come and go during the service and we should ignore their comings and goings. The service began -- the pastor holding a microphone connected to two small speakers that weren’t very good. The choir member held a pitch pipe. A traditional, liturgical service started. Somehow, our singing of hymns blocked the other music out of our minds and it appeared people passing by respected a service was taking place and kept their conversations lower than normal. When it came time for the distribution of ashes, I turned around and was truly surprised to see that there were around 300 people who had come to the service and were waiting in line for ashes. In prior years, the number attending was around 75. Not preached on a hill, but the message was delivered and received!

I recently completed a novel by Francine Rivers, The Scribe. This book is about Silas, the scribe who traveled with, and wrote onto scrolls the words of Saints Peter and Paul. In the novel, the author writes that Silas says:

We decided to stay to the major trade routes and centers so the message would have the best chance of being carried more quickly… The marketplace was the center of all social, political, and administrative functions in every city… and as such would afford us greater opportunity to meet men and women unfamiliar with the news we carried.

This was certainly true in South Beach on Ash Wednesday 2012.

Thank you God for modern-day evangelists who continue to bring your message to us. And, when we encounter these men and women, teach us to really listen to each of them. Amen

Contributed by Nancy
Monday May 20, 2013
Liturgical Year C: Week 25
Liturgical Color: Red
Sunday Gospel reading:
Day of Pentecost