One autumn Jack and I traveled to Houston, Texas, to hear a guest preacher who had been invited to give a series of sermons. He was a well known preacher from radio, T.V.. and online. The pulpit where he preached was situated in front of a soaring wooden cross on the wall behind him. We were attending only one of the services.

After the service began, a voice from the congregation started shouting and eventually heckling the preacher: “You are lying! You don’t worship God; you worship a piece of wood! You worship anything in the shape of a cross, but you don’t worship God!”

I turned to see who was speaking, and saw a young Islamic man sitting in the section to the left of us. The room was well attended, but he was clearly distinguishable, as he sat near the aisle. The preacher finally paused and addressed him, and asked him to wait until after the service when he, the preacher, would be happy to sit with him and talk. The young man did not respond to this, and continued his tirade. Finally the ushers escorted him out. I could see that he left the building, apparently with no intention of staying to talk.

It is hard to understand that after thousands of years the message of Christianity could be so profoundly misunderstood, but I could not help remembering Jesus’ words to his very first believers: In fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. (John 16:2-3)

Jesus spoke these words just before he introduced the gift of the Holy Spirit to his disciples: Unless I go away , the Advocate will not come to you: but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7) The priceless Holy Spirit of Christ would companion the disciples to protect their faith and their message when Jesus returned to the Father. This gift, little understood at first, and still mysterious because the Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity, nevertheless continues to deliver Christ to us to this day.

I believe that it is the deeply personal relationship between wholly human and wholly divine, the Christ, and ordinary people, that other religions cannot accept. To some, it is not possible that there is truly a living bridge between God and humans where we can meet. The story is too simple, and the gift too great. But for eleven disciples (later, twelve) and countless saints and believers throughout the centuries, Christ is the very real and very true bread of life itself.

Love in Him,

Prue