I suspect you’ve likely heard the old Christian adage, “God works in mysterious ways.” The word “mysterious” is said to often spark curiosity, wonder, or slight unease because the cause or reason is not clear. Well, events over the past several weeks confirmed in my mind that several recent but separate occurrences in my life have not made me uneasy, but have certainly raised my curiosity and wonder as to what our Lord is up to.

Sometimes such mysterious work may appear to us as pieces of a puzzle; on their own somewhat recognizable, but not revealing a larger picture of something grander. Let me share with you a few such pieces I have recently come across which I believe can lead our church toward something most wonderful.

In April, 2026, the All Saints’ Men’s Group invited representatives from the Downtown Whitby Business Improvement Area (BIA) to speak at our monthly weekend meeting about the role of the BIA and possible collaborative efforts with our church. This resulted in their immediate support to produce a great promotional flyer for our current Church Open program that takes place over the noon hour on Wednesdays.

We were also invited by the BIA to again take an active part in the July 25th downtown “Home Sweet Home” street festival. On that date, a small, dedicated group of clergy and lay volunteers opened the doors of All Saints’ to between 300 – 350 persons to come into our church, look around and speak to our ambassadors about the church’s history, worship services, ministry work as well as their questions related to their faith journey! In a somewhat mysterious way, this separate “puzzle piece” – a public, summer street festival – helped reveal to literally hundreds of passers-by a sense of who we are as a faith community, and more importantly to also witness our welcoming and friendly nature.

Over the summer, I have been reading an interesting book “A New and Ancient Evangelism” (2024) by The Reverend Canon Dr. Judy Paulsen. In this wonderful book, Canon Paulsen explains that God uses ordinary people of faith – just like you and me – within our own everyday sphere of influence to draw people to himself. I found in Paulsen’s exploration of the New Testament tale of the Conversion of a Prison Warden, found in The Acts of the Apostles, another “puzzle piece” to how God can work in mysterious ways. In Chapter 6 of her book, Paulsen focuses on communal practices adopted by early followers of Jesus; how these fledgling

Christians were reading and studying the teachings of the first apostles, meeting together for meals and fellowship, pooling resources to meet the needs of the poor and gathering together for worship – sound familiar??? The particular item that caught my attention was their practice of praying together. Here my “curiosity meter” started to rise. Was there perhaps a clue for my own church to help see how we could encourage those who are seeking a relationship with Jesus to find a way to All Saints’? Of course, there are many instances when our church members now pray together – mostly notably, but not exclusively, at Sunday worship. However, when is our collective praying focused, in whole or in part, towards new people coming to know Jesus?

Canon Paulsen states, “Let’s infuse, into every single gathering of the church, prayers for the people in our neighbourhood who have questions and longings.” So, when could we start to do this at All Saints? Does the recent Home Sweet Home Street festival allow us to build on the curiosity of passers-by regarding their relationship to our Lord? Should we not see this as an opportunity to light an invitational spark, through collective prayer, that brings them and others to join our own vibrant faith community?

Where is a starting point that leads to this wonderful vision? My suggestion of where to begin is with the “Prayers of the People” at each of our weekly Sunday worship services. We now raise up, in collective prayers to our Lord, the names of known church leaders, parishes across our diocese, as well as those All Saints’ members who are experiencing setbacks in their health or other life circumstances. Let’s soon start by adding a new “piece of the puzzle” to our Sunday worship services by praying for all those who have spiritual questions regarding their faith, or a curious sense of where God fits into their life, or a longing to come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

Could this wonderful synergy be due to: hosting two guest speakers at a monthly church group meeting; participating as a church at a summer street festival; and one’s summer reading on evangelism? Yes, indeed I think so; God does work in mysterious ways!

Prayer

Almighty and Merciful God,
At this time, we lift our voices together to pray for those who are seeking a relationship with Jesus. Help us, as Your church, to be a safe, welcoming, and compassionate refuge. Send your Spirit to give us the wisdom to answer their questions, the patience to walk through their doubts, and the boldness to share our own stories of redemption. May we be a place where lost souls are found, where burdens are lifted, and where seekers are transformed into disciples. Thanks be to God. Amen.