Tag Archives: homelessness

Scattering Seeds

02 Wednesday May 2018

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The ministry we do with the homeless is not too complex – at least not right now.  We try to make sure some basic needs are met.  We try to make sure people’s humanity is acknowledged.  We try to create a sense of community.  We try to share Good News with people and let them know that they are not alone.  We try to tell people that they are loved and valued by God and by us.  We try to tell people that they have value and worth.  We try to listen to their stories and walk along side people.  We try to learn from the people we encounter.  The underlying belief is that an encounter with Jesus changes lives – both for the people we encounter and our own lives too.

And the responses vary.  Sometimes people reject us.  Sometimes people are only looking for some material relief.  Some are not open to change in their lives.  Some would rather try to be in control, although being in control is often a part of the problem and a piece of what keeps people where they are.  Some initially come on board and engage with us, only to slip away later on – the tug of their past and their lives is too great.  Some start to see hope for their lives, and then they choose a different path that takes them back into the darkness.  They feel they are lost.

And then there are some who openly embrace it all – they embrace us, even though there is initial confusion on why a group of strangers would go out of their way to care about another stranger – especially a stranger who supposedly can’t offer anything in return.  They embrace a message of Good News, even though their life looks like crap.  They embrace the sense of community.  They embrace their humanity, they acknowledge the pain and suffering they are experiencing rather than trying to dull it.  They let go of control and embrace actual help.

And it’s scary.  It’s scary to completely let go of control of your life.  It’s terrifying.  Yet, this is what Jesus calls on us to do – to let go of our lives, to get out-of-the-way, so that God can come in and transform us.  To let ourselves die, so that we might experience resurrection.  And this is true for those who are being helped as well as the supposed helpers.  With Jesus, the lines blur on who is getting helped and who is helping.

When I think about what is happening, I can’t help but think of the Parable of the Sower.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’

(Matthew 13:1-9, NRSV)

Our job isn’t to save people – only Jesus can do that.  Our job, if you want to call it that, is to spread Good News carelessly – to as many people as possible.  What they do with it is not our problem.

In sales, there is a saying – Some will, some won’t, so what, who’s next.  If Jesus has sales training I think he would have adopted this saying into one of his parables.

Some will take the Good News of Jesus and allow it to do its work.  Some won’t.  So what – it’s not for us to decide.  Who’s next – who will be encounter next to share the Good News?  We don’t know.  But we are ready.

Broken

24 Tuesday Apr 2018

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Many of us sit in comfort in our homes of multiple thousand square feet, with our nice lawns measured in either a fraction of an acre or in multiple acres.  We have nice vehicles that are pretty reliable.  We have our well-paying jobs that pay us enough for our necessities as well as for the nicer things in life.  We enjoy our vacations.  We enjoy the health we have.  We sit down in the evenings and enjoy entertainment.  And have no worry or thought that tomorrow will be any different.  Why should we?  We have what we need and many of the things we want.  Is everything perfect – of course not.  But really, we’re doing pretty well.

And many of us have no clue about another population that exists in our midst – usually just down the road.  It’s a population that survives day-by-day.  A population that lives day-by-day.  A population that is constantly worried about what they will eat and where they will lay their head for the night.

This isn’t a lazy population.  They aren’t living in luxury off of welfare.  In fact, many don’t receive welfare, or what they do receive isn’t enough to make much difference in their lives.  They aren’t going to the grocery store to buy lobster.

Many in this population work full-time.  Are you surprised?  They work full time and they don’t make enough to cover housing and the other necessities of life, like food, cosmetic necessities, feminine products, things for their kids, clothing, health care, and transportation.

They live in anxiety – it is a constant blanket that covers them each night.  Only this blanket doesn’t provide warmth and comfort, but rather dis-ease.

Many have animals that they care for. Before you spout off about how these poor folks shouldn’t have animals because they can’t take care of themselves, realize a few things.  These animals are often the only ones who offer these people actual love.  These animals are the only ones who keep many of these people going to the next day – their animals give them purpose for going forward instead of giving up on life completely.  Their animals are there for them when no one else is.

Many of the people I have come across lately are women.  Their significant other left them – often left to fend for themselves and their children.  Their men just up and left, some never to be heard from again.  In some cases, that’s an improvement – at least they aren’t suffering domestic violence any more.

Our society is broken.  There is no other way to describe a society where there are homeless women left to fend for themselves.  We aren’t great – we’re broken.  And for many, there is no recognition that society is broken.  If it doesn’t affect you directly, then there isn’t a problem.  The only problem with that belief is that the belief itself is broken.  What happens to one in a society, impacts the rest.  I know this because I’m willing to bet that as you read this you are felling some kind of emotion – maybe guilt, maybe anger, maybe motivation, maybe a combination of emotions.  At any rate, you’ve been impacted without being homeless yourself.  Your emotional state has been affected.  And that’s just a small impact – tiny actually.  But it’s a start.

Can we agree that we have a problem?  That it’s a problem that we have people who are working full-time and can’t afford housing?  Can we acknowledge that our society is broken – at least in this regard?  Can we agree that something should be done?  And not just throw money at the problem?  Or just focus on the material?

Can we agree on just that?  Once we agree to that, can we figure out what to do as a society?  Can we move past the empty rhetoric of politicians and campaign slogans and propaganda?  Can we actually deal with the problem?

I don’t want to live in a broken society.  Correction: I refuse to live in a broken society.  As Christians, we are called to participate in the unfolding of the kingdom.  I take that call seriously.  I pray that you do too.

“That’s what Christians are supposed to do…”

19 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by in Church, Politics, Theology

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“That’s what Christians are supposed to be doing…”

This is the phrase a non-religious friend of mine said when we were talking yesterday.  We were talking about ways to tackle homelessness and I had the opportunity to share with my friend what the good people at St. Stephen Lutheran Church were undertaking – doing ministry over at the Flying J – making sure people had access to showers, laundry, and food.  We spoke for several minutes about some other opportunities we were considering and the many possibilities that existed to make an impact in the lives of people who needed help – including getting people connected with resources and professionals that could help them.

That’s when my friend said those words that caught my attention.

And revealed something insightful to me as well.

How are we Christians known and what are we known for?  Are we known because of a sect of Christianity that seems more concerned with aligning with political power – if so, then we have our focus in the wrong place.  If this is the most important thing that we Christians do, then there is something seriously wrong with our Christianity and with our faith.

I don’t buy the notion that Jesus died for our sins so that we could align ourselves with one or the other political party in the US in the 21st century and treat our political opponents in a very non-Sermon on the Mount way.

The old hymn says that they will know we are Christians by our love.  Not by our politics.  Not by our fear.  Not by our separating people into us and them.  Not into our allegiance and loyalty to a party, politician, or nation.  By our love.

Love acted out.  Love that this lived out.

It is time for Christians to act like Christians again.  Let me alter that – there are many Christians who do live out their faith and love.  They just don’t get the attention that many other Christians do who are more interested in making stupid comments about how we shouldn’t vaccinate our kids or that God is punishing some portion of the country through disasters because we don’t hate homosexuals enough or other such nonsense.

They will know we are Christians by our love.  They will know we are Christians by the care we give and offer the poor and outcast.  They will know we are Christians by using what we have been giving to help those in need.  They will know we are Christians by how we feed people.  They will know we are Christians by how we value people – all people.  They will know.  Why?

As my friend so eloquently stated – “That’s what Christians are supposed to be doing…”

It’s just so obvious.  It’s obvious to someone who isn’t even a practicing Christian that this is what Christianity is supposed to be about.  Why isn’t it obvious to practicing Christians?

As we heard in our Gospel lesson from this past Sunday – Jesus said.  “The time has been fulfilled.  The Kingdom of God has come near.”  The time is now for us to act like Christians.  God’s Kingdom is at hand.

Miracle Mile

11 Thursday Jan 2018

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There is a stretch of road in the community I live and work in that is called the Miracle Mile.  According to Wikipedia (as good a source for this as anything else I found):

“The stretch of US 11 between I-76 and I-81 is known as the “Miracle Mile” since it contains plenty of traveler services including restaurants, gas stations, lodging, truck stops, shops, etc. There is no direct interchange between the two interstates, so travelers must use this stretch, or travel through downtown Carlisle, to get from one interstate to the other.”

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_11_in_Pennsylvania

The more common explanation I have heard regarding the name is that it got its name because it’s a miracle if you can get through the mile because of the traffic.  There’s some truth to that, but there’s plenty of exaggeration too.  Having lived in Washington, DC, even the Miracle Mile doesn’t see traffic like downtown DC or NYC.

Regardless of the reason for the name, it’s the name that this stretch of road has.

And it’s the stretch of road that also has a variety of people who are considered outcasts, expendable, unworthy, and worse.  It’s the stretch of road where there is homelessness, drug addiction, prostitution, sex and human trafficking, and immigration issues, among other challenges.  It’s the Miracle Mile – a place where it’s a miracle that people can drive through this stretch of road and completely ignore what happens there.  It’s a miracle that people can keep a blind eye to what goes on.

But what if that could change?  What if the Miracle Mile was known for something else – where miracles happen.

That’s what I think it can become.

That’s what God is calling on us to do.  To live out our faith, to create an environment where people can encounter Jesus and have their lives changed.  That would be a miracle.  To gather churches of different denominations together, agencies that deal with all sorts of challenges, businesses, etc.  All coming together to tackle the pervasive challenges that haunt the Miracle Mile.

What if the Miracle Mile were a miracle in our midst?  Not a miracle in the sense that you can get through it, but rather that it’s a miracle because people’s lives are changed – for the better.

Jesus is quoted as saying the following:

35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

(Matthew 25:35-40)

What if the miracle that God has in mind is right here in our midst? That those who are imprisoned in human trafficking, homelessness, and drug addiction are set free.  That those who are hungry are fed and the thirsty are given a drink of life-giving water.  That those who are widowed and alone have true companionship and community, that those who lack clothing are clothed, that those who are children would be loved and cared for, That those who are strangers are welcomed with hospitality, that those who have lost their humanity and dignity will have it restored.

That is the vision of what a miracle looks like.  That is what it means to live out the faith that we have been given.  That is what the kingdom of God looks like in our midst.  It’s not some distant, far off thing that we read about in the Bible.  It’s right here, just waiting to be unleashed.  And God is tapping us on the shoulder and saying, it’s time – it’s time for a miracle. It’s time for the Miracle Mile to be a miracle.

Outside the church walls

09 Tuesday Jan 2018

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Theology

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I read a lot.  I read books, articles, blogs, social media postings, letters, etc.  I love to read.

I love words too.  I love to read, write blog posts, social media posts, tweets about the bible, prayers, etc.

I love to talk too.  I love to talk about faith, grace, theology, politics, philosophy – all deep subjects.

Those are all nice and good.  Sometimes those are essential.  But that’s not all we are called to.  We are called to more.

In the January, 2018 issue of Living Lutheran, Frank G. Honeycutt wrote the following words:

To an outsider in much of North America, Christianity might be perceived as an indoor, climate-controlled religion.  But so much of the Bible’s story is told outdoors. “If these [disciples] were silent,” Jesus once said famously, “the stones would shout out.” (Luke 19:40)

Source: Click here for the online version, pg. 5 for Honeycutt’s article

When I read that statement, it struck me.  So true.  So much of Jesus’ ministry happens out there.  He encounters problems when he is in the synagogue.  He’s doing ministry out there, beyond the walls.

My question is this – are we doing the same thing?  Why or why not?

One of the things that the disciples at St. Stephen are starting to look at are some of the pervasive challenges facing our community just outside the doors of the church.  We are situated in a unique location – just two miles down the road from one of the major travel intersections in the country – Interstate 81 and the Pennsylvania turnpike.  There’s a mile stretch between these two major travel routes.  Commerce is going back and forth all day, every day, all day long, 365 days a year, non-stop.

And with so much traffic and commerce, there are many businesses in that one mile stretch that cater to the traffic.  But there are also other populations that reside on this stretch too – populations that no one wants to deal with, let alone talk about, or even think about.

There is homelessness, drug addiction and trafficking, sex trafficking, prostitution, immigration, and more.  It’s all there, right outside the doors of the church, just down the  road.  I pass through this stretch every day on my way to and from the church.

The question is, what are we called to in relation to this?  We called to be outside – where the challenges are.  We are called to build relationships.  We are called to proclaim boldly the good news of God’s loving saving presence.  We are called to not only think and talk about these people just down the road, but to do something.  We are called to be Jesus’ hands and feet, to bring Jesus’ very presence to populations that I think Jesus would want to be present in – the outcast, the forgotten, the imprisoned.

It starts with an acknowledgement – there are people who are homeless, who have big challenges, who are trapped in things they have no control over.  It starts with an acknowledgement – that Jesus has encountered us and changed our lives, but Jesus isn’t done yet.  It’s only the beginning.  It starts with an acknowledgement – taking the first step is really scary because we have no idea what will happen or where this will go.  That’s just were it starts though.  It’s only the beginning.

Hold on tight, we’re in for a ride.  Jesus is driving.  He’s taking us to places we don’t want to go.  He’s telling us to keep the doors unlocked as we travel through these places.  Not only that, he’s inviting us to get out of the car and be with people.  That’s scary.  But is there really another option?  We could keep staying inside the walls of the church, where it’s comfortable and clean and neat.  Where the facade of our lives makes us look good to those around us.  Or we can acknowledge what exists around us, acknowledge that Jesus won’t turn a blind eye and won’t let us sit in comfort.  Faith isn’t about being comfortable, it should make us uncomfortable enough to get moving.

John 6:68 quotes Simon Peter as saying:

Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.

Yes, indeed Peter, Jesus does have the words of eternal life.  And not only that, Jesus’ words make us uncomfortable and cause us to react, respond, and get moving.

You have the words of eternal life Jesus, where else are we going to go?

What’s that?!? You want us to go out from these walls because of the words you have breathed into us?  You want us to venture to places we would rather not go because of the holy food that nourishes us?  You want us to get up and carry out the words that you speak to us?  You call on us to respond in trust to the faith that you give us?

The answer is yes.  I hear you calling me, us, and more, together.  To travel just down the road.  Outside the church walls.  Where most of the Bible happened.  I hear you calling us to not just read the Bible and hear the stories of a distant place and time, but to live the Bible and our faith.  Thank God we aren’t doing this on our own, but that you walk with us in this journey, that the Spirit is infused in us and empowers us to go, and that the Father is listening and continually creating a path set before us.

How lives get changed

12 Tuesday Sep 2017

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Yesterday I watched this video and you should too!

It’s a TED talk from the Mayor of Albuquerque on how the city is successfully dealing with homelessness and panhandling.

Mayor Richard J. Berry is doing the right things – empowering people, tapping into people’s value, treating people like human beings, and the results are impressive – huge reductions in homelessness, and getting people the help they need for drug and alcohol problems.  Go figure that when you actually treat people like people, then lives improve.

Even though this is a government initiative, it sounds like the Gospel message in which people’s lives are changed.  Yes, the Mayor doesn’t actually say anything Christian, but if he isn’t living out the Gospel with his “Better Way” program, then I’m not sure how you could.

Imagine if we took this same attitude to other cities.  Imagine if churches took this same attitude with their own ministries.  Imagine how lives could change if we actually took people at face value, we tapped into their value, we connected them with services that can work with them on challenges, we built relationships with people, and treated people as people who have potential for so much more.  Add in a Gospel message in which grace, mercy, love, peace, and forgiveness abound, and you’ve got yourself the makings of something incredible that people would want to be a part of.  Not because it would be really cool and cutting edge, but because it would be a message and activity that people desperately needed to hear and experience.  And once you have that – look out.  Lives would be changing.

Giving money to the homeless

02 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Theology

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So, do you give money to a person holding a sign or a cup that says they are homeless and need help?

We’ve all come across people like this.  There have been times when I have given money and times when I haven’t.  There hasn’t been a rhyme or reason as to why I have sometimes and why I haven’t other times.  Sometimes I give because I feel like it.  Other times I give because I follow a feeling inside me that tells me to give.  And other times I don’t give.

Here’s an article from someone who has decided to always give.  I have a lot of respect for his reasoning and for what he does.

I’ve been thinking about this a bit lately.  The reality for me is a little different – I don’t come across people who are homeless where I am very often.  I do come across people who need help though, so I think it’s similar.

Here’s the ideal solution – first, I stop worrying about time.  Yes, I have to get away from my East Coast, middle class concern about time and promptness.  Because anyone who needs help is going to take an investment of time.  As I preached this past Sunday, healing is messy.  I think that’s true for helping people too.

Second, I have to have resources.  That doesn’t always mean money.  Sometimes just giving money is an easy way out.  And often it isn’t the answer.  It’s giving a fish when someone needs to learn how to fish and you are the one who can teach fishing.

Here’s the biggest thing when it comes to someone asking for money – it’s not about the money. Move the situation beyond the financial transaction that is seems to be.  It’s about a person in need – even if it’s not money that they really need.

Find out the person’s name and offer yours.  This is a person after all, not just a sign or a thing.  Talk with the person and find out what the real need is.  I mean the real need.  It may take several questions.  There may be lies involved.  There may be truth.  Here’s the deal – you won’t know.  Put yourself in the person’s shoes – they are desperate and asking for money.  Would you be completely open and honest if you were desperate, for whatever reason?

Ask yourself some questions – how can I really help this person?  Is this a short term problem or long term?  Can I connect them with someone who can help them?

My experience has been that someone who really needs help is willing to talk.  Someone looking to get some money out of you usually isn’t.

Then, do something.  We’re not called to judge the person.  We’re called to do what we can.  Even if it’s small.  And often, I’ll offer a prayer with the person for their well being.

Here’s the biggest concern – homelessness is a big problem.  Your job isn’t to solve homelessness – it’s to help one person who is there right in front of you.  But you aren’t there to fix the other person either.  Sometimes helping someone is just finding out their name – reminding them that they have value and worth because they are human.

And, be open to being helped yourself too.  You have your own challenges, you aren’t perfect.  Sometimes the people we are aiming to help end up helping us.  We aren’t called to be strong.  We’re called to be love and be vulnerable.  Like I said, it’s messy.  Be ready to get messy.