Confronting Polytheism at the Hairdresser
Being a servant of God really doesn’t take a special title or require an advanced degree. It does require a great co-mission. I heard the beginning of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 translated something like this, “While you’re going about your business, be doing My business.” That’s not too bad of a translation (especially of the present participles).
Last May, we were conducting a public baptism out at the river Livenza as we regularly do when the weather warms up. While holding the baptism service, a lady walked up named Patrizia. She was fascinated with what she saw. Patrizia has been coming to our church regularly ever since. Patrizia is a hairdresser by trade and has a salon about 100 yards from where we used to live. I must’ve passed her placed at least 3 times a day for 5 years and knew nothing about her.
Late last summer, I decided I’d go and get a haircut there to visit and share the Word. I brought my Bible with me and we were soon in a discussion of the 10 commandments. As I entered her store, I realized I was in a neo-pantheon of sorts. Beside the new age “whale-call” music I was also greeted by a zen garden in front of me, a Navajo indian chief on the wall, and a small shrine to Mary in the back. My new “peace-searching” friend greeted me with all smiles and a totem pole hanging around her neck. I asked her about these things and found out that she had been with the Buddhists in Treviso, Mormons in Pordenone, studied Shintoism, and visited different Hindu groups when they come through. For all the peace that these things were supposed to bring, I asked her why she couldn’t stop smoking. She drew on cigarettes to relax came her reply. Ultimately, I had to ask her, “Why do you like coming to our church so much?” She replied, “You are a community of peace, and I love hearing about the beautiful things of the Bible.” I thought, “Good enough.” At the end I went to pay, and she wouldn’t permit to pay (which is extremely rare in Italy). She said, “Thank you for your teaching here. Take the money and help out people that you know need it.” Hey, at that point and from a business point of view, Patrizia won a patron. 
Over the last five months, I’ve continued to get my haircut there. And, with vacation assistance from my barber-father-in-law in Arizona, I haven’t spent a dollar on my deformed melon in six months! I’ve also taken the Word for each haircut to ground some of the wild, ethereal discussions that come up. Now Patrizia is regularly bringing her next door neighbor Manuella to church. She’s also telling almost every client about our church. When I go into the shop, the common phrase is, “Oh, this is the American Pastor you’ve been telling me about.” Last Sunday, Patrizia asked me about the Hebrew concept of teshuva. Teshuva is a deep Jewish understanding of repentance. There’s much to study in the Bible about this. So, we had a good discussion about that. Then, I began to show her pictures of our family, friends, sponsors, and disciples etc. That’s when she made a thoroughly postmodern statement, “When I look at these pictures, I see so much harmony…” Now I could work with something. When sharing God’s metanarrative (grand story) with people in our culture, the metaphor becomes a great tool of language. It was on the battlefield of “harmony” that I could confront and conquest the other gods all around me. One by one, I was able to share story after story of the Gospel bringing harmony to the lives of real people. My hairdresser friend then replied, “How beautiful, you just don’t hear stories like these today…” I thought, “But, you’re the one who brought up harmony.”
Patiently continuing on.
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