This past Sunday, my chaplain asked if I would coordinate our Christmas day service...
To coordinate the service means I have to be something of an emcee. I did this before on a regular basis when I was at Sullivan. But in a way, it's kind of comical that I'd be asked to do this on Christmas day. After all, I'm Jewish. But then again, Jesus was a Jew, too.
Thankfully, the Lord was with me. Everything went well, even when it was time to do Communion. This being the symbolic representation of the blood and body of the Lord Jesus as in the bread and wine (grape juice) that was given to each man who wanted to partake of, if he so desired. In addition, because it was expected of me to speak to the congregation with a message of my own, I felt impressed by the Lord to share my testimony. So I used the allotted fifteen to twenty minutes to tell my story. Many in the audience never heard it before.
I was especially happy to see a number of new faces who I've not seen in the chapel before. Some, quite frankly, I never expected to see. One of them being a man whom I know has the reputation of being a gang leader. I've known him for many years, having met him when I was at Sullivan. I know he's doing a sentence of 75-years to life for supposedly being involved in several gang-related killings. And whether it's true or not, I don't know, and I don't need to know. But seeing him sitting in the pews was encouraging.
Afterwards, I went over to speak with him. I had shared my faith in Christ with him when he and I were at our former facility. At the time, we lived in the same cell block. Also at the time, his mother was very ill. She'd eventually pass away, but he allowed me to pray for her. Now, years later, I met him again, this time in church. He said he wants to come back again, and I encouraged him to do so. I believe his presence on Christmas day was a divine appointment. Only the Lord could arrange it so that a Jew was called upon to emcee a once a year Christmas service in church.
D.B.
Thankfully, the Lord was with me. Everything went well, even when it was time to do Communion. This being the symbolic representation of the blood and body of the Lord Jesus as in the bread and wine (grape juice) that was given to each man who wanted to partake of, if he so desired. In addition, because it was expected of me to speak to the congregation with a message of my own, I felt impressed by the Lord to share my testimony. So I used the allotted fifteen to twenty minutes to tell my story. Many in the audience never heard it before.
I was especially happy to see a number of new faces who I've not seen in the chapel before. Some, quite frankly, I never expected to see. One of them being a man whom I know has the reputation of being a gang leader. I've known him for many years, having met him when I was at Sullivan. I know he's doing a sentence of 75-years to life for supposedly being involved in several gang-related killings. And whether it's true or not, I don't know, and I don't need to know. But seeing him sitting in the pews was encouraging.
Afterwards, I went over to speak with him. I had shared my faith in Christ with him when he and I were at our former facility. At the time, we lived in the same cell block. Also at the time, his mother was very ill. She'd eventually pass away, but he allowed me to pray for her. Now, years later, I met him again, this time in church. He said he wants to come back again, and I encouraged him to do so. I believe his presence on Christmas day was a divine appointment. Only the Lord could arrange it so that a Jew was called upon to emcee a once a year Christmas service in church.
D.B.
