"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' (Matthew 25:34-36)
These words, spoken by our Lord, have really made a difference in how I look at the world today. My wife Debbie and I are involved in ministering to folks who are homeless. What a homeless friend of mine calls “housing challenged”.
Our church participates in an area-wide homeless housing program called ChristNet, which essentially feeds and houses those in need through the fall, winter, and spring months in Detroit’s Downriver area. Each week from September through May a different church will host ChristNet, allowing up to 30 guests each night to eat and sleep in a safe, warm, friendly environment.
Debbie has always had a heart for the homeless, but I have to admit, until we first participated in the ChristNet program, I hadn’t given homelessness much thought. Sure, I would see the occasional homeless person walking down the street, but it would never even enter my mind to stop and engage that person in conversation. Wow! How things have changed! Jesus has really worked through Debbie to touch the lives of people that in the past I never would have given a second thought about.
Last month we decided to head to downtown Detroit to talk to some homeless people, to listen to their stories, to feed them, and to let them know that Jesus loves them. It was truly uplifting to see how much trust many of them have in God in spite of their circumstances. We came back excited and refreshed, and most of all, I think we made a difference to them, even if only for a day.
After relating our experience to Shawn, the youth minister at our church, he decided that a youth group service project was in order. A few Friday evenings later we made about 50 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, loaded up 2 cases of water and 120 bags of potato chips and headed to Hart Plaza with several adults and a group of our teens.
We handed out all of our food and water that night, talked to many homeless folks, and prayed with them. They loved it! It meant so much to them to know that God was there with them working through us, feeding them, giving them a listening ear, treating them the way anyone would want to (and should be) be treated. I think our teens learned a valuable lesson that night, and my prayer is that they will remember that night every time they come across someone in need.
In Matthew 25:40, Jesus said
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Let’s keep in mind those priceless words from our King!
2 comments:
I've gone with the youth group twice now to feed the homeless at Hart Plaza. Both times, it's been a little uncomfortable at first. But both times, I've been blessed and energized. Several of the "domicilically challenged" (my designation) ask us, "why are you doing this?" The best answer I have come up with is this: "We are trying to be followers of Jesus. It occurred to us that Jesus at this moment probably wouldn't be sitting on his can in our house watching the tube. He'd be here with you."
P.S. Your blog is great, full of thougtful posts, and deserves a wider audience.
Hi Al.
Mark Frost pointed me to your blog. You offer some very insightful and challenging thoughts! I will add you to my blogroll.
My wife and I were members at the Trenton Church from 1989-1992.
Thanks for linking to me. My blog address has changed and is now http://jeffslater.net
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