Grace and Communion at the Bridge

The beautiful Fall colors were the backdrop on October 16, 2012, a beautiful night at the bridge with the Homeless Outreach Ministry.  We have friends there, some with roofs over their head and some without.  Tonight there were no labels, just these precious ones all around and sharing the love of Christ. Here there were no judgements, no dirty looks, no condemnations. . .just love and laughter. . .food and fellowship. . .singing, sad stories to hear, praying for one another, communion, and grace floating all around.

 

Grace

 

"Grace throws parties for returning prodigals without saying a word about their sins.  Grace pays everybody the same regardless of what time of day they began to work.  Grace restores dignity to whores that everybody else wants to stone.  Grace hugs the diseased leper that nobody else wants to touch.  Grace looks past a person's behavior and sees the person for who they are in the eyes of God.  Grace is irrational to the thinker.  It is unfair to the judge.  Grace is foolishness to the achiever.  It is a shame to the religionist.  But it is a stream of water to the thirsty.  It's freedom to the imprisoned.  It is life to the dead.  Grace is rest for the tired.  It is another chance to the failed.  It is hope to the despondent.  It is a way out for the lost and a way in for those who can see the door.  Grace.  It's not a theological premise. It's not a doctrine.  It's not a philosophy. It's not something to be balance with anything else.  It's not even the most important thing.  It is the ONE THING~THE ONLY THING.  It's a Person, a Person who has held you in His heart before the first molecule existed and One who willl never let you go."

 

I'm not going to point out who is who because we are all the same in God's eyes, beloved children, some who are walking with him, and some He is waiting for, but all are loved.  But I will tell you this first picture is some of our fine city officials who came to the party with the director of Hotel, Inc. in the middle.  She is the one who got the Homeless Outreach off the ground. . .I'm just her sidekick:)

 

We have wonderful volunteers with great big hearts.

We had more "guests" show up this week and we were honored to serve them.

 

 

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet"

Frederick Buechner

 

"I'm not suggesting that we have the power to heal physical conditions with our human fingers. But I do believe there's a healing of the spirit that takes place when we touch others.  There's a comfort that can't be found anywhere else, but in a touch or a hug.  Somehow, God's love and power is shared with others through the simplicity of our physical touch."

Ann Nappa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Who are your friends? Have you chosen them carefully or have you let God choose them for you? Can you count among your friends, homeless, disabled, prisoner, homesexuals. . .The range and depth of friendships accurately reflcts your knowledge of the love of God".

Mike Mason

 

 

 

 

 

 

"All of us are people walking throught a living graveyard.  Everywhere we go, among everyone we meet every day, there are the walking dead. There are people so radically impacted by death in one way or another that they are candidates not only for healing but also for resurrecton. Death of relationships, death of dreams, death of business, death of loved ones. And you and I have been prepared to bring a living answer."

Pastor Jack Hayford

 

 

 

"To love a person means to see him as God intended him to be"

Destoevsky

 

 

 

"Showing mercy is different from having pity. . .pity connotes distance. . .even looking down upon. . .mercy comes from a compassionate heart. . .it comes from a desire to be an equal."

Henry Nouwen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into the doing that matters."

Mother Teresa

 

 

 

and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
I Corinthians 11:24

 

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 26:27-28  

 

 

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do."

Edward Everett Hale

 

A beautiful evening, indeed!

 

 

 

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