God's Work

GOD'S WORK

~The Sparrow At Starbucks~
by John Thomas Oaks

It was chilly in Manhattan
but warm inside the Starbucks shop
on 51st Street and Broadway,
just a skip up from Times Square.
Early November weather in
New York City holds only
the slightest hint of the bitter
chill of late December and January,
but it's enough to send the masses
crowding indoors to vie for
available space and warmth.

For a musician, it's the most
lucrative Starbucks location
in the world, I'm told,
and consequently, the tips can be
substantial if you play your
tunes right. Apparently, we were
striking all the right chords
that night, because our basket
was almost overflowing.

It was a fun, low-pressure gig
and I was playing keyboard and
singing backup for my friend who
also added rhythm with an arsenal
of percussion instruments.
We mostly did pop songs from the
40's to the 90's with a few
original tunes thrown in.
During our emotional rendition
of the classic,
"If You Don't Know Me by Now,"
I noticed a lady sitting in one of
the lounge chairs across from me.
She was swaying to the beat
and singing along.
After the tune was over,
she approached me.
"I apologize for singing along
on that song.
Did it bother you?" she asked.

"No," I replied.
"We love it when the audience
joins in. Would you
like to sing up front on the
next selection?" To my delight,
she accepted my invitation.
"You choose," I said.
"What are you in the mood to sing?"

"Well. Do you know any hymns?"
Hymns? This woman didn't know
who she was dealing with.
I cut my teeth on hymns.
Before I was even born,
I was going to church.
I gave our guest singer a
knowing look, "Name one."

"Oh, I don't know.
There are so many good ones.
You pick one."

"Okay," I replied. "How about
'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?"

My new friend was silent,
her eyes averted.
Then she fixed her eyes
on mine again and said,
"Yeah. Let's do that one."

She slowly nodded her head,
put down her purse,
straightened her jacket,
and faced the center of the shop.
With my two-bar setup,
she began to sing:

Why should I be discouraged?
Why should the shadows come?

The audience of coffee drinkers
was transfixed. Even the
gurgling noises of the
cappuccino machine ceased
as the employees stopped what
they were doing to listen.
The song rose to its conclusion:

I sing because I'm happy;
I sing because I'm free.
For His eye is on the sparrow.
And I know He watches me.

Holy moment, when the last note
was sung, the applause crescendoed
to a deafening roar that would
have rivaled a sold-out crowd
at Carnegie Hall.
Embarrassed, the woman
tried to shout over the din,
"Oh, y'all go back to your coffee.
I didn't come in here to do a concert.
I just came in here to get somethin'
to drink, just like you!"

But the ovation continued.
I embraced my new friend.
"You, my dear,
have made my whole year.
That was beautiful."

"Well, it's funny that you picked
that particular hymn," she said."
"Why is that?" "Well ,"
she hesitated again,
"that was my daughter's favorite song."

"Really!" I exclaimed.

"Yes," she said, and then grabbed
my hands. By this time,
the applause had subsided
and it was business as usual.
"She was 16. She died of a
brain tumor last week."

I said the first thing that
found its way through my
stunned silence,
"Are you going to be okay?"

She smiled through tear-filled
eyes and squeezed my hands.
"I'm gonna be okay. I've
just got to keep trusting the Lord
and singing his songs, and
everything's gonna be just fine."

She picked up her bag,
gave me her card,
and then she was gone.

Was it just a coincidence
that we happened to be singing in
that particular coffee shop on
that particular November night?
Coincidence
that this wonderful lady
just happened to walk into
that particular shop?
Coincidence
that of all the hymns to choose from,
I just happened to pick the very hymn
that was the favorite of her daughter,
who had died just the week before?

I refuse to believe it.

God has been arranging encounterss
in human history since the beginning
of time, and it's no stretch for me
to imagine that he could reach into a
coffee shop in midtown Manhattan and
turn an ordinary gig into a revival.

It was a great reminder that,
if we keep trusting him and
singing His songs,
everything's gonna be okay.

When you get to your wit's end,
you'll find God lives there.

Music arranged by Larrie Dee
Used With Permission

Betty's