 Now after five weeks recovering from open heart surgery* . . . Felt better. Stronger. More able to keep a good pace at this morning’s sidewalk breakfast and church. Not as shaky as last week (my first time back at it). While I am still not lifting anything more than 8 lbs, I felt good at moving about and talking to folks. I had good energy for the church service and the preaching. God is good. The message, the sermon, was from Acts 15:11-19 this morning: “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” This is not an easy text—and how can it be relevant to those who do church on the sidewalk? In short, of course, the simple gospel of faith in Jesus is all that is needed to be saved and part of God’s family (v. 11). But there is more: It was--it is—the acceptance of others into this family of the saved that also matters. Who are . . . who can be the sons of God? People who are different, culturally different, race different (yes, I even brought that up right here on the sidewalk)—what we add to our faith that others have to deal with so “I’d” accept then into God’s family, so they can be a part of the saved community? This is the question that is presented to us from this text on the sidewalk right here in the Hill. I briefly explained the Jew-Gentile thing happening in the background of the text—explained how the Jewish believer had to give up circumcision as the defining marker that set the Jew apart from the Gentile; and, the Gentile also had to give up something, namely the defining mark of being a Gentile, namely an idol-worshipper (vv. 19-20). That’s the text. I pointed out some of the modern idols we have and then explained how having such idols in our lives not only keeps us from fulling loving and serving God as we should, but also how such idols and all the habits that go with these idols keep us from loving our neighbors (our wives, family, those children, those on the other side of town, and those around us, especially those very different from “me”); and, this also keeps them from knowing all it takes to be saved is simple faith in Jesus Christ. Our idols have added to who is and who isn’t saved. Our idols tend to make us think others need to adopt a certain form or some measure of life that looks like “mine” in order to be saved and a full member of God’s family. Our idols make us add to faith so that we’d be comfortable with them and they’d be acceptable to us. We can keep people away, even causing them to stay away and not seek Jesus or even desire being a part of God’s family. It was incredible how these good folks identified with this reading of the text—some to be sure, is how they’ve felt and have stayed away from church, away from Jesus; some even recognizing their not very accepting of those different from them. We all need to abstain from idol-worship. After the service, I prayed with one of the street guys, whose cancer has returned. Talked to a few guys whose close friend had relapsed back into drug abuse and had stolen from them. During my sermon, when I used an example of a married couple that the man wasn’t loving his wife as he should because of an idol or idols in his life, one of the men (I could see this right in front of me) reached out and took his wife’s hand. After the service, he came up to me, shook my hand and said “thank you.” God is, indeed doing some amazing work in the lives of these forgotten, marginalized, strange, seemingly hopeless, messy folks. It was a good morning. And, yes, I am a bit tired. But better than last week for sure. Getting better. Slowly my energy is coming back. God is good! *Five weeks ago I had open heart surgery to repair and replace a calcified aortic bicuspid value. Been recuperating and gaining my strength back.
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 On Saturday mornings, God shows up right here on the sidewalk in front of our Hill apartment. Over the years of being here in the Hill, both our church and, as well, Lisa and I (especially since we moved into the Hill) have encountered the homeless population. Sometimes on a Sunday morning, every year at our Park BBQ ministry, and now, almost every Saturday at the Sidewalk Breakfast and Sidewalk Church Service. Are the elect not also among the homeless? Is there not an obligation to make church available, accessible, and welcoming to the homeless? While so many things break and burden my heart in this ministry, the presence of the homeless grieves me, perplexes me, and humbles me. Over the past four months or so, we have come to know one of the local homeless. He collects bottles (a few of us save them for him). I encouraged him to start coming to our Saturday Breakfast and, perhaps, even to stay for the sidewalk church service. So he did. And, has been. Regularly. In fact, he’d bring one or two of his homeless friends (pretty much every Saturday), encouraging them, “We’re staying for the Church Service, too.” We have had, regularly, the homeless breakdown and cry, even a few times falling to their knees with their arms stretched out. We pray for them, comfort them. They’re just so grateful for the food and broken because they know they need God desperately. This man, the one who brings people, was missing a few Saturdays. When he showed back up, he assured me he was alright, but had been in the hospital. “Well, actually, the police brought me to the hospital,” he said. “Why did they do that?” “They arrested me for fighting, but instead of jail, they brought me to Yale—New Haven Hospital.” He was in a bad way, he explained. “But, I’m good now.” In fact, he was so proud to tell me: “Pastor, look at me. I’m clean. My teeth are brushed. My clothes are clean. I’m taking showers. I am good now.” My heart was so glad. He hasn’t stopped coming for Breakfast and participates in our Sidewalk Church Service—and has been bringing his homeless friends. Another regular gentleman also brings friends and many times his homeless friends to the breakfast and service. This week he brought a young lady (probably in her 30s). When we served her the food, she broke down and cried—she was so grateful. Drug use had ruined her teeth. In fact, she had told us she had a lot of teeth just removed. Ashen and thin—and being subject to the nightly elements doesn’t bring rest and renewed strength. This was very evident. She just cried and cried and said thank you, thank you, thank you. During the Church Service, she broke down, crying through most of it. Afterward, she came up to me to thank me again, still tears flowing. I told he, “We are glad you came today. Life has been pretty rough for you. Please come back. Come be a part of what God is doing here on this sidewalk. Let’s learn about Jesus. He is here for you. He will forgive you. Doesn’t mean everything will get better, but you will get better. Jesus will change you and help you, but most of all, he’ll give you a new family, this church family. This is where Jesus will give you strength, encouragement, people to cry with you—and eventually, people for you to cry with.” The thank yous kept coming. She said she plans on coming back. Are not the elect among the homeless? God showed up this past Saturday.
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Wasted Blogger, Chip M. AndersonI am the pastor and church planter for Christ Presbyterian Church in The Hill; a flawed practitioner of Wasted Evangelism. I am learning about Wasted Evangelism through my experience in The Hill and through the good people of CPC in The Hill. Archives
April 2024
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