Meet Istvan, a local guy of the area in Pecs where the outreach started not too long ago. Istvan is homeless and has never had any connection with the church, he felt shunned by many religious people assuming he wasn’t good and trustworthy (I understand from the other perspective how he feels, Baltimore 2001). One day he saw something good happening and just decided to show up when this outreach was just getting underway; no one really knew him. Even since then he’s been hanging out with the people of the ministry and helping the church. Sometimes he still struggles with drinking, the breathe of alcohol was still strong, but he was sober. More than anything, he had a smile of genuine friendship for this stranger I was, and during the testimony and music, he had his hands raised up and sat with the other homeless men making sure they were paying attention. I don’t know if he was a believer or not, but I do know that God was smiling for sure at this ragamuffin, just like we all were ragamuffins.
Then there was Lazlo, who has never came until that night. Lazlo was half sober and recently received third degree burns on his leg and was in much pain. He isn’t able to afford the doctor and the hospital wouldn’t accept him. So that night he came to his first “church service” in years and was willing to allow us to pray over him and anoint him with oil. Balazs said that he wasn’t sure if Lazlo would really stay through it all and it was a stretch for him to even show up. But as the worship and then eventually as I shared my life story (translated by Balazs) with everyone and about when I decided to not serve myself and the little gods of my life but serve the real God and find true satisfaction in Him alone, I asked them what they truly treasured in life. Lazlo was where my eyes were glued as I saw him listening; how I wish I knew what he was thinking. He stayed through it all and after I was done he left; longer than we expected. I may see him again or may not, but I pray that somewhere in the cold he was spoken too by the Lord and felt the touch of love. God loves him, and somewhere in his heart there’s a hole he’s trying to fill it up with other things, and I pray that God gives him angels and a joy of Jesus.
Before all this started, we went to pray with Balazs who said something that completely broke me. He said I shouldn’t be surprised if people leave in the middle of it all because they may need to leave to find the best rest spot outside for the night. I couldn’t imagine, I just can’t that each night you have to try to find the best place to sleep outside, and it’s also cold this time of year here. That moment just saddened me so much. I will go back that night to where I stay in the warmth of a room and roof over my head and soft pillow but not these men who will not have much; they own nothing. Materialism makes us focus more on keeping up with the Jones’ than people who don’t have basic needs provided for. Sometimes the act of love in Jesus in faith is just crazy, but there’s nothing more fulfilling than to love others like God has loved us and see through prejudices or false perceptions, or what people think of us from what we really know is the right thing to do. Are we letting the fear of strangers paralyze us from completely being self-sacrificial and finding a home or job for them? Am I finding the homeless at home and actually trying to get them back on their feet in life? At the
church I go to at home , the pastor with tears in his eyes one time said, “Last year, a homeless man died from the
cold on the streets in Lexington. I am ashamed that on my watch as a pastor of a
church in this city that this happened. And there are countless churches
in the city. If we were actually doing our job, homeless people should
never be on the streets and die in the cold. It will never happen
again on my watch.â€� We have a commandment of love and we’re failing, if there’s empty rooms and people on the streets, it’s a sad situation.
I began to think much about the complete overwhelming heart of the Father. Brennan Manning has written my favorite book of all time called, The Ragamuffin Gospel. Manning argues that Jesus’ gospel was one of grace, and that human
efforts to earn salvation are impossibly misguided. He states in his
book that the true meaning of God’s grace has been lost in our society
as we constantly search to merely please God, as though He is just a
“small minded book keeper,” who tallies our sins and uses them against
us. He cites many biblical references and utilizes stories of his
colleagues to put into words the need for us to accept that God’s grace
is free to those who accept it and it is powerful enough to change our
lives. And I think of those I’ve met; God doesn’t tally them or love them less than he does me. I was a Ragamuffin also, one that completely deserved the worst and God has lavishly thrown His grace on me.
In the words of a song by Jonathan David Helser, “I’ve seen I am and now I know that I am loved. I’ve seen I am and now I know who I am.” I am enveloped in God’s grace, for I was lost, blind, a beggar, homeless, and He gave me a home and called me His child.
(Little Lizzy never stopped smiling, and this is Balazs)
