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A Day in the Life of a Street Pastor |
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I get asked a lot what my day is like -- as in, "Pastor, just what is it that you do all day?" And honestly, most of my days are spent living out the words of Matthew 25:31-40. I know for some this might sound hokey, but it is truly what I spend most of my time doing.
So, I want to share with you the story of Kurt [not his real name], a young man who came to my attention after he found himself in a local jail after an accidental brush with the law.
By the time I got to the jail, I had been told that Kurt had just been casually informed by a jail employee that the “mandatory intake blood work” revealed Kurt to be HIV-positive. Then they had tossed him into his cell to be alone with this new knowledge. So he was alone in his cell with the agony of knowing his life now had a terrible and awful stigma attached to it.
When I met with Kurt I could tell that in his eyes, his world was crumbling. He believed that when he left the jail he'd have nowhere to live, no job, and a new medical condition that he didn't know the first thing about. When I walked into the visitation area, I could also see in Kurt's eyes that he thought I had come to preach to him.
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Questing Parson Interview |
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By Rev. Paul M. Turner
Two things have happened to me recently. One thing was I was finding it hard to explain what my vision for our community was about and to explain why that was hard to do. Then I was feeling increasingly frustrated with our community (GLBT). Then I read a couple of articles that suddenly put form to my hard to explain vision.
I read a sermon by Dr. L. Bruce Miller of Robertson-Wesley United Church of Christ from Alberta Canada. His sermon centered on Canada’s Supreme Court decision to include in the Human Rights portion of the constitution the words “sexual orientation”. He likens this to the resurrection of Christ.
He sees the gay, lesbian community being dead spiritually. Through no fault of our own, but rather the “Christian Church” is killing us. Its methodology of this murder is through its lethargy and apathy. By it’s tolerating and perpetuating institutions and patterns of death rather than life. He states that resurrection is about transformation. “Transforming from death to life, from spiritual alienation and estrangement to spiritual fulfillment and genuine connectedness to others.” He goes on to give several life transforming examples including the high court’s decision.
Suddenly, I said yes! This is it exactly. Our community has been under going a slow death. A very deliberately planned and well carried out death sentence. Dr. Miller gives the following example of the “Christian Church’s” message to its homosexual sisters and brothers.
“We should listen to the children, like the diary of young Bobby Griffith: ‘February 19, 1992. Why did you do this to me God? Am I going to hell? That’s the gnawing question that’s always drilling little holes in the back of my mind. Please don’t send me to hell. I’m really not that bad am I? ...Life is so cruel and unfair!’ In desperation and despair, Bobby killed himself. It is only by listening that we can come to see the other as a real person made in the image of God, loved by God, and as caring and compassionate as any of us.”
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Growl, Grumble and Complain |
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By Rev. Paul M. Turner
The One who is to be obeyed was in church a few weeks back and heard me preach about the Prodigal Son. She said that this message was perfect for this issue of “Whosoever” since the theme would be dealing with those times God appears silent. Of course, I don’t think from a relationship standpoint God is ever silent when it comes to dealing with us. I think it has more to do with whether we are paying attention or not. I also believe it also has a lot to do with how we view God and how God deals with us. Which is why I really love this story Jesus told… as it relates so well to the GLBT community and our adversaries from the legalist side of Christianity.
"And he said, a certain man had two sons: 12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me that part of your property which will be mine. And he made division of his goods between them. 13And not long after, the younger son got together everything which was his and took a journey into a far-away country, and there all his money went in foolish living. 14And when everything was gone, there was no food to be had in that country, and he was in need. 15And he went and put himself into the hands of one of the people of that country, and he sent him into his fields to give the pigs their food. 16And so great was his need that he would have been glad to take the pigs' food, and no one gave him anything. 17But when he came to his senses, he said, What numbers of my father's servants have bread enough, and more, while I am near to death here through need of food! 18I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have done wrong, against heaven and in your eyes: 19I am no longer good enough to be named your son: make me like one of your servants.
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