"You Can Do It" - and the Love Stimulus

The past five weeks have been taken up with people involved with Gospel Mission Society, stepping in to help sort through the various tasks that needed to be done following the sudden passing of Pastor Barry. On top of that, there's been the need to reassure the people we serve in the Hastings Central area that Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain will continue. Certainly, the Mission has survived since 1929 through all sorts of challenges and it will survive the next few months as things get sorted out; but humans tend to look at any current situation as being permanent and need to be reminded that things do change and in faith, difficulties are overcome: stumbling blocks, in fact, turn into stepping stones.

We held the Annual General Meeting of the Gospel Mission Society last night, and as I left, I ran into Joseph, one of our native brothers who often comes into The Lord's Rain. He's one of many of whom I can truly say I have seen at his best and at his worst. A few years ago, he stumbled into our Saturday night service and promptly fell asleep on one of the benches. We finished the service and cleaned up, figuring we'd wait until we were ready to close up before waking him. But when we couldn't wake him, that was when we saw the row of staples in his scalp. Our natural reaction: "head injury! Won't wake up! Call 911!" Which was what we did. 

But Joseph has also come into the Mission and The Lord's Rain, asking questions about the Bible and definitely contemplating the world around him in that context. Whenever I talk to him, he tends to contemplate a lot before responding -- although he does have a quick laugh with a tendency towards sardonic humor -- and his responses are well-considered. It often feels like he sees the world around him as terribly out-of-joint with what he knows from the Bible, and he has no idea what to do about it -- rather like Jackson Browne's heart-wrenching lyrics, "I have done all that I could/To see the evil and the good without hiding/You must help me if you can." 

Indeed, I've often thought there's something of the evangelist in him, because he certainly knows his Scripture and has a very engaging personality -- even when he's drunk. (You have to understand some of the dynamics of the people in the Hastings Central area to know that you can't really dismiss the notion of someone who's an alcoholic leading others who are alcoholic. It's not a case of the blind leading the blind, as much as it is the "can't-see" being led by the "want-to-see". I think that makes sense.)

So when I came out of the Mission, Joseph wanted to know what I was doing in the 'hood. I told him about the challenges. "You can do it," he said. "Nothing is impossible."

It's not unusual for one of the "street people" to say something that absolutely boosts one's confidence. It's one thing for us in the Ministry to encourage one another, but when one of the people we serve speaks even a couple of words straight from the heart like that, it reminds us what we're there for.

***

"Have you got a place for the night?" I asked Joseph.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "Blood Alley." He paused, and then broke into a grin. "I've beat up enough people there, I might as well sleep there!"

(Despite its rather violent-sounding name in an area known for lawlessness since the Gold Rush days, Blood Alley actually got its name from the butcher shop that would toss entrails, etc., out the back door. It's tempting to say that the place was pretty "offal", but we must respect our boundaries, so I won't.)

Evidently, Joseph, Bruce and Jeremy -- two other native chaps who were with him last night -- fall into the category of "street homeless", which, apparently, has grown in number in the past year, despite the hard work by very dedicated people like my dear friend Judy Graves, who "retired" as the city's housing advocate a year ago but still champions the cause, and Mayor Gregor Robertson and his staff. There are a number of things on which I don't agree with Hizzoner, but there's no denying progress has been made. Sadly, the newspaper reporting on the prediction that the annual Homeless Count would be up from last year focused on the political reaction, given that Mayor Robertson had promised to eliminate street homelessness by next year and this is an election year. His opponents were quick to sneer at this "broken campaign promise"; as I've often said, the view from the press box is always better than the view on the ice. But for all the political jousting, the fact remains that there are still Josephs, Bruces and Jeremys in our town who spend their evenings choosing their alleys, park benches or patches of grass.

"Better pray for him, Pastor," Joseph said, motioning to Bruce. "Welfare screwed me around, man," Bruce said, more in bewilderment than anger. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but the bottom line is, he didn't have a place. "Me too," put in Jeremy. And so we did. 

***

Responds well to stimuli ... 

Jeremy often comes into The Lord's Rain right at opening time -- 6:30 or 7 -- and lies down on one of the benches and goes to sleep. Probably the best sleep he gets, and we certainly don't try to roust him out. He has a violent streak and has the build of an MMA fighter and I must admit, I'm a bit leery when he comes in (probably a good reason to let him sleep). But this past Saturday, I got to see a different side. I had taken him upstairs to the Mission so he could use the washroom; when he came out, he saw me leafing through one of the Bibles. "Read me something," he said. I turned to Psalm 91 ("He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High/Shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty"). It's about the way the Lord protects those who put their trust in Him. Jeremy listened carefully, and when I had finished, said, "thanks!" "You understand what it means? Stay close to Him and He will protect you." He contemplated that, then nodded and hugged me. 

One never knows what fruit the seeds we sow will bear. But this I do know, Jeremy has a less threatening demeanor: he responds well to the "love stimulus".

Homelessness, politics, and what would Jesus do?

Today's Vancouver Sun has an item that would be of great concern to the people who have been working so hard to end homelessness in the city -- and who have made a political stake in that effort. The annual homeless count is expected to show a sharp increase, despite the efforts of the past few years and Mayor Gregor Robertson's campaign promise of 2008 to end homelessness by 2015.

I've pointed out in the past that there is a subtle difference between that campaign promise and the stated goal today; the Mayor talks of street homelessness, but his promise in 2008 was to eliminate homelessness, which I contend is decidedly different. But today's item points out what a complex task this is, relying as it does on different levels of government, each with its own agenda, and ultimately on the good will of the people who actually have the money to build housing. It's easy to make a campaign commitment; it's even easier to point and sneer when that commitment isn't met (behold the turtle, who only makes progress when he sticks his neck out); there's no shortage of reasons why things haven't gone as planned.

But what about the people who are really affected by this -- and I don't mean Gregor Robertson's campaign workers or Penny Ballem's staff? We're talking about people who need a place to live -- the homeless, drug-addicted, mentally ill -- who have become, once again, socio-political footballs. Once again, The Man has let them down, as he always does. The inconvenient truth is that we need to wean people off the idea that their problems are going to be solved by any kind of worldly means.

What would Jesus do about the homelessness situation? Would He blockade construction sites or picket incoming businesses? Would He demand politicians do something? Did He make claims about "rights" or condone law-breaking?

Throughout the Gospel, Jesus reminds us about our responsibility to the poor. But at the end of the day, people who are convicted and motivated to live up to that responsibility are not moved by shame or guilt, bullying or threats, but do so out of love -- because Jesus is God and God is Love. Love -- not money, jobs, cheap housing, addiction programs -- is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING (what could be more important than God?): love your enemies; pray for those who use you spitefully.

So when you see and hear about demonstrations and protests and activists vowing to block development until they get what they want and saying things like, "we don't want those kind of people here" (referring to developers and higher-income folks moving into new projects in the Central Hastings area), we need to ask where the love is. If the love isn't there, then neither is Jesus ... and neither is God ... and neither is any blessing.

Trust me: developers and politicians -- like any human being -- respond really well to love.

Some might compare activism like protesting and blockading to Jesus' clearing out the Temple, but His actions in kicking over the tables and driving out the merchants were only half of what He did that day. He then "taught them ... 'Is it not written, "My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves"?'" (Mark 11:17 KJV). Matthew records that He then healed people.

Do we have something to teach those we disagree with? Are we able to heal?

Do we know better than God, what the solution to a problem should be?

If we approach the situation in love, with forgiveness and meekness of heart, we allow God in. Situations that don't look right to us start to gain meaning and we start to see what God is up to by putting us and others into those situations. Sure, they don't look right, but remember that, when Jesus was crucified, that didn't look terribly "right" to a lot of people -- but look what happened next.