Every Monday, I stand in front of the church, greeting people as they make their way to the community dinner. I stand between our colorful sandwich board sign, and the steps to the fellowship hall, gently extending hospitality. I have been saying the same thing for over six years. “Were doing a free meal tonight if you’re hungry!” Being invited literally opens the door. Most of my time is spent on the sidewalk, listening to people. This week, I met a young person who has been clean from drugs for three months and was feeling “happy”. They had gone to treatment and spent time with family, healing in the power of unconditional love. As we discuss our sobriety stories, the warm presence of sacred space begins to form around us. I tell my new friend that were all created in the image of God. Their eyes fill with tears as they hug and thank me, telling me that they plan to volunteer next week.

Fighting impatient motorists and an irritated commuter bus, a man hunched over a bicycle slowly crosses the street toward me and the dinner. I meet Ralph who broke his back, forgot his cane, and can’t get off his bike. I get him two to go meals and he tells me how grateful he is that God saved his life. He was working as an arborist and fell out of a tree onto a brush pile. The doctors said that if the brush pile had not been there, he would have died. We pray for his upcoming series of surgeries and relief from chronic pain. Ralph thanks me and declares, “I praise God for breaking my fall!” The holiest moments happen on the sidewalk! “Though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand (Psalm 37:24 NRSV).”

Michael Cox