Kissed by a Prostitute
I figured that title would get your attention!
Well, actually she is a former prostitute who now attends the Wesleyan Evangelical Tabernacle in downtown San Salvador. Marvelously saved from her previous lifestyle, she is one of the founding members of the church planted just six years ago. She greeted me, and everyone, at the door with the warmly traditional Latin American brush-on-the-cheek kiss (which seems pretty Biblical too!).
On Saturday night (Sept 12) I visited this church in El Salvador's capital city. (El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America, located south of Mexico and Guatemala.) That night I met the church's leadership team as we shared an evening snack of pupusas (El Salvador's version of a stuffed tortilla, very tasty!). I was astounded to see over 40 adults in attendance, out of the 90 who attend on Sundays.
"These are my students in our leadership school," Pastor Rene proudly informed me. They are board members, worship leaders, Sunday School teachers, and other church workers (children, youth, women, outreach, etc). Some of them are even in ministerial preparation in order to plant new churches. Nearly all of them are new Christians within the last six years (the church started with just six people, the pastor's family). And they all come from a rather rough and poor inner-city background: most are the street vendors Rene and Zoily intentionally target. Pastor Rene also informed me sadly that he recently lost three newly converted young men who were murdered by their former gangs for "desertion".
On Sunday I preached there and also at the even newer Good Samaritan Wesleyan Church in an even poorer neighborhood. I considered it a great privilege, besides the fact that it was just plain fun to worship with them in their overjoyed, boisterous, loud ("joyful noise") style. But I felt very humbled too as the pastor proudly told me I was preaching to former prostitutes, exotic dancers, gang members, addicts, and the like.
I was reminded of when Jesus had dinner with Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36-50) and was interrupted by a prostitute who kissed and anointed Jesus' feet. Simon was scandalized mostly by the fact that Jesus seemed not to be offended, as if he didn't know what kind of woman this was. Oh, but Jesus did know. And he told Simon, through a parable, that she loved God better as a (former) prostitute than Simon did as a Pharisee, because she also knew what kind of woman she was and was humbly asking forgiveness (sobbing and washing Jesus' feet with her tears).
To myself I was thinking, "Dear Lord, who am I to be preaching to them? Certainly I resemble Simon more than the woman at your feet. Would I be as forgiving as you, Jesus? Let my heart also be broken by my sins, be they 'great' or 'small' (all are the same in God's eyes!). And let me also rejoice in your great forgiveness. Teach me to love you as they do."
My consolation was in knowing that at least I was a little like Jesus in one way: I too was kissed by a (former) prostitute!
