This week's Sunday school lesson uses Acts 3:1-10 as its focus passage. The title of the lesson is "Hope Shared". The passage from Acts recounts the episode in Peter's and John's life where they were entering the temple and a "man who was lame from birth" was begging at the temple gate.
Peter tells the beggar "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” The man "stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God."
Today's reading from Acts highlights a struggle I am currently having with my role in the homeless ministry. While the ministry is certainly a worthwhile ministry, and I believe it has God's hand on it, is what I/we do really effective? Not only do I not have "silver or gold" as Peter and John, but I lack even the faith to speak a word of physical healing.
Sure I go down on a semiregular basis and speak of Jesus' miracles, David's failings, and God's love, but my words ring hollow even in my ears. My connection to their reality is so surface as to be laughable. I have heard the tales of woe. Seen the world weary faces. Held the street-scarred hands. But to what effect?
My white-bread, middle-class life has no basis for relating. When I talk of what God has done for me, it in no way connects to their lives.
God was able to guide me into the right major in college. (But I still had a great apartment and plenty to eat when He was guiding.)
God protected me on the road countless times when I used to drink. (Oh yeah, I had a car, money, and a place to drive home to.)
I write this with hesitancy because I don't want to seem unappreciative of God's provision. I am amazed that He has allowed me to be blessed at such a level considering how many times I have turned my back on His direction, correction, and love. But I have so little to offer our downtown friends. Pancakes. Sure. A 10-minute Bible story. Can do. But do those thing really matter? Do they change lives? Not likely.
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