Joyful Transformation

It is hard to get comfortable on this sidewalk. But comfort seems to be such a small part of his life anymore. At least the sun has been warm today. He is not sure what it is that has awakened him, but he feels compelled to get up.

There is a group of people sitting around that picnic table. There are one, two, three…..one, two, three, four…..that vodka makes it hard to count. Surely, one of them has a cigarette.

“Excuse me,” he says. “Do you have a cigarette?”

“No sir” they say, “we do not smoke”.

“Are you Christians?” he asked. Nobody had called him sir in such a long time. These people must know Jesus.

“Well, yes we are”. They said

“May, I approach?” he asked. He wasn’t sure why he was drawn to this strange mixture of folks, but something told him he needed to be there.

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The sun was absolutely beautiful. The group was sitting along a channel on the Mississippi river. Though they had just met a bond was forming, a bond that seemed to defy human logic. After introductions and the sharing of the awesome cookies the group decided to sit around a picnic table. Someone pointed out the homeless man sleeping on the sidewalk, but he was far enough away from them to be bothered by their talk or to bother them with his snoring.

The thoughtful group from Mississippi had brought the necessary elements to share in communion together. This was a sweet and inspiring time of worship. Their hearts and minds were joined together as they thought about the sacrifice that made all of this possible.

Then, in an effort to get to know each other better five questions were presented to each of the seven people present. They didn’t get very far down the list before they were interrupted. The question they were discussing was “What are you currently struggling with?” The group had shared some very emotional and heartfelt issues when the homeless man who wanted a cigarette approached them.

It was clear to the group that God had sent Ramón to them. The struggles they faced paled in comparison with the thoughts of an addiction that robbed you of your dignity. Ramón wore a shirt covered in his own vomit. But he wanted to know if they were Christians, he wanted to know if they would pray for him.

Ramón joined this group around the table, and they prayed for Ramon while joining hands and laying their hands on him. But the beauty of the day was that Ramon returned the favor by praying for all of them.

Many things were said. Much history was shared. Ramon a self proclaimed Cuban redneck, even shared in the total disdain that the Alabama ladies have for Jeff Gordon. In another lifetime he had worked for Rousch Racing. (NASCAR speak)

While this new faith community could not address all of the problems of Ramón, they could leave him the bread and juice they brought for communion. The Mississippi group did leave him a blanket for the evening. But hopefully they all left him with the knowledge that God did love him, and His people cared about him no matter where he was.

.....Because I know the group at the table heard God speak to them through Ramón.