Sermon of the Homeless

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I remember reading Blake’s post on “Gay People are Awesome” awhile back and thinking that Blake actually had said something that could have meaning and impact on another person’s life.  I appreciated that he applied himself and his views to the situation and gave an honest assessment on what he felt.  He was real with the audience in describing himself and you should compliment him for that.

So, I sat in church about two weeks ago and I think we read a verse in Corinthians and it reminded me a ton of Blake’s post.  I started thinking about love and about the state of churches in America.  My thought was, if I rounded up a group of homeless people and brought them to church in their current state, what would the reaction be?

Would the pastor, reverend, mullah, or rabbi change his sermon/teaching so as to “include” the homeless people that entered the building? Can you imagine the reaction if these homeless men and women, sitting in their own urine, having not eaten for days, smelling of alcohol and smoke sat next to your family?

I thought to myself, well the teacher would probably not change his sermon, but it definitely would affect the people of the congregation. In a lot of churches, synagogues, mosques, etc. across America, people want to feel the part about being a person of faith but would rarely, if ever, want to show the part.  The message behind the Bible (and I will stick with the one book of faith I know) is that Jesus came to this earth to offer hope and love to people who never had access to it.  He offered the kingdom of heaven for prostitutes, leppers, criminals and thieves and he consistently spoke of the religious leaders of the day putting too heavy of an emphasis on money, money, money over the souls of men.

Before I start preaching, the point of all this is to put a frame of reference on your life.  Do you understand that relative to the rest of the world, you are considered “rich” if you have a “home” that has at least 3 walls, clean water to drink, a pair of shoes for your feet,and  access to some kind of medical care?  If you have a window and a bed, you’re even “richer.”  In America, and in American places of faith, we forget what it is like to practice the faith we say we have.  What makes me better as a person for having been born into a family that could afford to provide meals for me and a roof over my head?  What does it say about me that I have to put on my “Sunday best” and enter a place with cushioned chairs, microphones and projectors to hear about a man who cared nothing about material wealth and all about the wealth of one’s heart?

The “first thing you need to do is be honest with yourself.  You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself.” – Nelson Mandela

BelieDat and udothedishes . . .

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2. The Peace Corps Files; Wednesday, August 15th, 2007
3. The Catholic Church versus DC council
4. Vote for God
5. A Quick Idea on the Economy
6. Gay People are Awesome
7. Can I get a receipt?
8. Family: Stunting Your Growth
9. SuperSize Me: Fat in America
10. A Turban Doesn’t Equal Terror

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