The names of the homeless were changed in this story.Steven Weathers, one of Mosaic’s Teaching Pastors, and I pray regularly with a congregation of homeless men and women that gather daily in our parking lot. Many attend Mosaic regularly and have name tags awaiting them each Sunday; others come in for food and clothes, offered twice weekly. Cesar Ortega, our Pastor of Community Development, has really led the way in developing good relationships with those in the community, by providing a welcoming environment for those seeking help in a variety of areas.
About six months ago, we started engaging the parking lot group through prayer and have since come to know many of the members of the homeless community living around our church. On most days, a half-dozen or more men and women hang out under a sliver of trees on the edge of our property. Usually, as we approach, the group scurries to shuffle bottles, cans and other questionable items out of sight from "the pastors."
Slowly but surely, we have seen God at work in their lives. They have become more and more receptive to the truth of the gospel and the realization of their own lost condition. Each day, we pray that God would continue to draw them to Himself.
As I was about to leave Mosaic on Monday, I stopped by and greeted three men and two women. One of the guys had a large, tattered Bible by his side and upon seeing me, pulled it out and started flipping through the pages.
“What are we going to read, Pastor?” Mike asked. “I brought my Bible with me today because I knew you would be coming out to pray with us.”
I
hadn’t thought too much about a passage to teach. Steven and I printed out an outline of all the stories that Jesus told in the gospels and taped it up on the outside of his cubicle. Our plan was to go through them one by one, but it's usually hit or miss on how closely we actually follow it. I just blurted out, “Turn to Matthew chapter five, Mike.” The Sermon on the Mount continues to be one of my favorite passages of scripture. God has used this passage over and over throughout the years as a passage that communicates the gospel with clarity.
Mike had a little trouble finding it, but with a little help, began reading the first ten verses. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”
“Stop right there, Mike,” I interrupted. “So what does it mean to be poor in spirit and why do you think Christ said that you would be blessed?” We bantered around some answers and had some fairly good discussion. They understood that it meant not thinking too highly of oneself. I told them I would explain why someone would be considered blessed in this condition after we finished with the list.
And on it went ... “Blessed are the those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are those who are meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” However, with each beatitude, the discussion degenerated and became more and more disjointed. They were quickly losing focus. Asking philosophical questions to a group of hard-living, street men and women resulted in a swarm of opinions and stories. Getting everyone to focus was a lot like herding cats!
There were many interpretations about meekness and how life on the streets made it difficult to be gentle. 'Blessed are those that mourn' had little connection with conviction or brokenness and instead was thought to be associated with the sadness one felt because of the harshness of life. I was beginning to think that I had been a little too ambitious in teaching the deeper meaning of the beatitudes, at least on this day, to these guys. I was about to give up, when it happened.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” read Mike.
How was I going to explain that one? I struggled to think of a way that
wouldn’t lead to any more self-philosophizing, bunny trails.
Just then, one of the ladies brought out a bottle of hard liquor wrapped in a nondescript paper bag and started to drink it. “Tammy,” another in the group berated her, “Don’t you know better than to drink in front of the pastor?!” She paused in mid-sip and out of the corner of her eye, looked at me rather sheepishly.
I appreciated the respect with which Mike saw my position as pastor, but replied, “You don’t have to hide things from me, Tammy. Don't worry about it." And just then, the inspiration came to me.
“Do you guys understand what the previous verse said, ‘Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness’? What it means is that just as Tammy thirsts for what’s in the bottle, God wants you to thirst for Him; desire Him. The craving that Tammy's body has for the alcohol in her hand, is the same craving God wants you to have for Him and His righteousness.”
There was no discussion on this point.
Everybody understood it with great clarity. The group grew strangely reflective, especially, Tammy. I then went on to explain how the beatitudes simply described a person who would readily accept Christ; and that Jesus was the only way that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness could be satisfied. I started to explain one more beatitude, but knew it was time to quit. God had given me a most poignant illustration for the day. There would be another time.
As we normally do, we gathered in a circle and all held hands for closing prayer. I prayed passionately that God would reveal the truth of His word and that each would become dissatisfied with their life until they became desperate to know Him. And then I walked away knowing that God had brought them yet another step closer, all in His perfect timing.
Keep praying for those guys if you think about it. God is at work, indeed!
