Go

By MacKenzie Teal, St. Paul's Newnan

Go. In several situations this summer, I've been reminded that Jesus' shortest sermon was "Go". This week so far has been no exception to the returning theme. Right off the bat we were thrown into moments that sat outside of our comfort zones with the task to serve; to go. The first morning, my group went to offer breakfast pastries to day laborers on the side of the road, waiting for jobs that may or may not come. We had to not just offer them food, but strike up a conversation. We had to take a breath, put on our big kid pants, and Go. In doing so, we learned not just about the basic information of these day laborers, but also about where they came from; their aspirations if they weren't working day to day; their families. We learned about their hobbies when they were our age, and they offered advice on things they would have changed in their lives at that age that would have maybe offered them a more stable lifestyle. And we learned about the unwavering love of Christ. While not all the workers were openly faith driven, many of them had some base in faith, and they very plainly told us that regardless of their situation, God was there and His love was there, and our number one job as children of God is to offer that same unwavering love. 

Later that night we went on a Prayer Tour of the city. We stopped at different spots throughout the city, mostly at spots with a dense homeless population. Seeing the mass numbers of men, women, and children that have no form of a home or bed was heartbreaking, and thinking back on the sights breaks my heart all over again. But there was a part of that tour that offered a ray of hope. Among all of the poverty and despair, we were able to see all the efforts being made in hopes of ending homelessness for everyone that wants to be in a home. There were services all over the place offering temporary housing, meals, clothes, basic hygiene necessities, and just a sense of security. These services were offered by all kinds of people from church organization, to private owned assistance, to State programs working in hopes of helping these people who have fallen on hard times get back on their feet. All over the city efforts are being made to minimize the issue of homelessness, and it was a constant reminder that you can make a difference a little at a time. It reminded me of the prayer attributed to St.Francis in the Book of Common Prayer, but with some revisions(approved by Bishop Wright). Rather than asking God to make us instruments of His peace, we should declare that We ARE instruments of His peace. Where there is hatred, we WILL sow love; where there is injury, we WILL sow pardon; where there is discord, we WILL sow union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we WILL not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born into eternal life. Amen.