A place to lay my head

Downtown Toronto. I was on my way to my favourite bookstore. Sitting on the sidewalk, in front of the store, was a man surrounded by garbage bags of belongings. Out in front of him was his Tim Hortons cup that housed a few coins.

He was laughing and seemed to be speaking Spanish. I stopped. He waved me over and began to introduce me to his Spanish friends – the pigeons, who feasted on potato chips that the man threw out to them. I sat on the sidewalk beside him and asked him how he knew that they were Spanish pigeons. He smiled, and holding up the bag of chips said, “They are Jalapeno!” And with that he laughed again.

He offered me some chips to share with his flying friends, which I did. As people hurried by, never once looking at us, we talked. I found out that this man had an MBA and had been the CEO of a dot.com company that had gone belly up during the crash. He lost everything: his family, his home, his livelihood. Now, he was on the street with his only friends, the pigeons.

During the summer months, he slept on the streets. In the winter, he huddled over a subway vent for warm air. And every day, he sought out the charity of others with his paper cup. Was he telling me the truth? I got his name and checked it out. He was telling me the truth. He had no place to lay his head.

There is a passage in the Bible that describes a revealing aspect of Jesus’ life. He has just healed Peter’s mother-in-law and naturally crowds gathered. They’re all gobsmacked by what they saw and begin pledging their allegiance to Jesus.

A Scribe approaches and says, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus replies, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Jesus didn’t own a house, nor did he have an apartment. He stayed with friends and relied on their generosity. Jesus was a homeless man.

When Megan was going to high school, she spoke of many of her friends who were couch surfing. They had been kicked out of their family home and relied on the generosity of their friends for a place to lay their heads for the night. We had a few of Megan’s friends share a bed in our house.

And like me and my friend sitting on the sidewalk in Toronto, the homeless remain outside our vision. But, they are with us.

We all know about Roots for Youth House and the amazing work they are doing – without government help, I might add. They offer a place to lay the head as well as programs to help these teens lead a productive life.

But, what about those who are too old to go to the Roots House? There is a gallant band of people who, right now, are seeking funding to establish Viola’s Place – a place where the homeless can find a place to lay their heads. At the end of this month, they are hoping to purchase the Life Centre and create a place and programs for those who have no place to lay their heads.

Jesus commanded us to love one another, no matter who or what they are. How will we show our love for those who feel loveless and are on the streets?

Let’s get together and give them a place to lay their heads. Think of them as you lay your head down on your pillow tonight. Let’s make this happen, for God’s sake. Call up Rev. Adakola with a donation. We are all God’s children. God bless you all, as you reach out, in faith.