A Shock To The System Can Lead To Love For The Soul

If peace is in your heart, the wildest of storms will not shake you, and you will find solemn beauty even in its midst.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

While in seminary, our professor decided to take a group of students to the “cutting edge” of ministry. So six of us traveled in a cramped minivan to a church in downtown Lexington, Ky. It was a melting pot of nationalities and walks of life. One street corner had an all- night liquor store. Another had a plethora of cardboard boxes which many homeless called their homes.

The service was spoken in four languages. The people attending were smelly and disheveled. Some were drunk. Some were high. Some only wanted to stay in the narthex because it was heated. After the service was over a group of older ladies asked several of us to help carry thermos jugs of hot chocolate and coffee. As we walked out of the warmth and brightness of the church and across the street to a dark and scary street corner they were talking about the people we would meet.

“Now don’t get too upset if Maggie is there,” one said. “She talks like a sailor sometimes, but she’s the most abused of the bunch.”

Or, “I hope Beth is here tonight, we’ve really been worried about her.”

It wasn’t until we had gone down a couple of blocks that it dawned on us just who we were going to see. Standing on one of the only lighted street corners was a group of prostitutes.

When we got closer, you could see the reluctance on our group of middle aged men’s faces. This was not what we envisioned when our professor talked about street ministry. Our thoughts were of some warm kitchen where we ladled soup into cheap plastic bowls.

One of the older ladies saw our hesitation and laughed out loud and said, “Don’t worry! You have us ( the group of old ladies, one of whom was using a walker!) to protect you!”

It turns out that Maggie was there. And she did talk like a sailor. But each time she said a colorful word, she looked at the elderly ladies and said, “Forgive me.” And each time, one of the older ladies would say, “Now Maggie, you know Jesus has already forgiven you.”

Beth was there and the ladies fretted over the lack of clothing she was wearing. “Now Beth, we know you’ve been sick. Why don’t you come over to the church and we’ll give you a jacket so you can warm up.”

They handed out the coffee and hot chocolate and gave some to the two men a few feet away who were “keeping them safe.”

“Now Frank,” one of the ladies said. “You make sure that Rachel gets home in time to get her kids to school.”

Frank blew on his cup of coffee and said, “Yes ma’am.”

As we walked away the ladies were abuzz with talk and thanks for us carrying the thermos jugs. One of our group who was in tears by the kindness he had witnessed said, “Why did you decide to help them?”

They just looked at us with blank stares and one said, “Silly man. Because Jesus would want us to.”

That’s when I learned that sometimes, God has a tendency to shock us with the incredible amount of love shown to everyone.

In Matthew 1: 5 we can witness this shocking love. Rahab was a prostitute. But because she heard stories of our great God from travelers she spent time with, she came to know faith. And that faith, in spite of her sins, helped give the Israelites the promised land. She married an Israelite and had a child. And that child became a grandfather of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Isn’t it shocking how God can take poor, pitiful sinners and by love alone turn us into people known for our faith? And sometimes, all we have to do is walk across the street.

PASTOR TROY CONRAD IS MINISTER OF THE FARMINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. EMAIL: FARMINGTONCHURCH@PGTC.COM.