“Piñatas and Airhorns” by Rica McRoy

I pulled into the parking lot of the Atlanta Dream Center for my dear friend’s graduation from her school of ministry.

Indulging a moment of vanity, I stopped to change out of my comfortable, driving shoes into my less sensible “it’s time to celebrate” footwear. As I was buckling the strap around my ankle, I looked up to see a young man with a radiant smile walking briskly down the sidewalk towards the church with a fistful of roses, a plastic bag from Walmart, and a piñata. I admit, it was the piñata that caught my attention, but within seconds I was fixated on what looked like a cloud of debris swirling around him. It reminded me of the dust cloud encircling Pigpen from the Peanuts cartoon, but this cloud sparkled and shimmered like iridescent diamond dust. I shook my head with wonder realizing what I was seeing was not visible in the natural. I was mesmerized by what seemed like a manifestation of the love of God surrounding an unsuspecting person.

I entered the church and found my seat. You will never guess who plopped down next to me! Okay, maybe you did guess. It was the mysterious, wrapped in a sparkly cloud, piñata carrying stranger. I didn’t waste any time getting to know him. Let’s call him PG (piñata guy). PG told me he was there to support a group of friends who were also graduating that afternoon. I learned he wasn’t from the Atlanta area. In fact, he had just pulled into the parking lot, having driven all the way from California! The journey took two days and he stopped just long enough to sleep in his car for a few hours. He said he would be driving home the next day. I asked how long he had known this group of friends, and I couldn’t hold back my surprise when he replied, “Not very long.”

Why would he drive across the country for people he hardly knew? PG shared how they had been “randomly” assigned to work together while providing food service for a large tennis event in Florida. He was the manager and they were his assigned team. He described the way they worked with excellence and joy while standing on their feet all day and volunteering to work double shifts. He noticed how they loved each other and went out of their way to include him in their tight-knit group. PG began to weep as he shared that he often felt isolated and alone, but around these friends, he felt welcome. “I have never met anyone like them,” he said softly.

As the ceremony began, my new friend tucked the piñata under his seat, reached into his Walmart shopping bag and pulled out two air horns. When he heard the name of “his people”, PG would blast both airhorns and cheer with unmitigated joy. He didn’t seem to notice that everyone else in the room was responding with polite, restrained applause. It was a celebration and clearly piñatas and airhorns were in order!

When it was time for the closing prayer, the pastor leading the service paused. He said he sensed the movement of the Holy Spirit. Instead of being bound to a pre-printed program, he chose to follow that prompting. He began to open up an opportunity for people in attendance to give their lives to Christ. The pastor was not in a hurry. We worshipped as he prayed and people began to stream to the front of the church. The recent graduates stood to their feet, encircling those who came forward. They laid hands on their parents, family members, and friends who were now their new brothers and sisters in Christ. It was simply breathtaking.

Finally, the stream of people ebbed and no one else came forward. The music continued to play and the pastor said, “I sense the Lord is speaking to one more person so we aren’t going to move from here.” We continued to wait and I confess that it felt awkward. But we lingered long enough to move past the awkwardness. I lost a sense of time as I realized we were standing in the midst of a high stakes battlefield and that someone in the room was in anguish. Not certain how to join the fight, I wept and softly called the name Jesus over and over again.

Worship and the murmur of prayer filled the room as a palpable sense of peace began to envelop us. Suddenly, I heard an eruption of shouting that rattled the walls. I opened my eyes and saw the seat next to me was empty. PG was being hoisted up and crowd surfed over the heads of his friends who were overcome with joy! At that moment, the kingdom of God felt far more NOW than not yet.  I reached into his seat for the airhorns and with a long blast, joined the raucous party of heaven for the one who was once lost but was now home.

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” ~Luke 15:4-7 NIV

“From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!” ~1 John 1:1-4 MSG

Think about this:

Who do you know that has never experienced the Father’s love first hand?

How are you pursuing them with Gospel hope?

Imagine the angelic celebration when someone awakens to the reality of the Father’s love in Christ Jesus! What would it look like to mirror the activity of heaven here on earth?

You are not alone. If you need a friend who you can talk to about your questions or doubts about God or if you are unsure what it looks like to share Gospel hope. Please send me an email. I would love to seek alongside you. psalm19girl@gmail.com

~ Written by Rica McRoy ~

Rica McRoy walks with God. If this one statement was true about her life, she would say this was a life well lived.

Tags: airhorns, graduation, Holy Spirit, piñatas, Rica McRoy, Soul Food