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Wanderers at Dawn

Writer's picture: Justin Scoggins, Th.D.Justin Scoggins, Th.D.

I have been getting up at 5:45 in the morning to exercise. Not for any other reason than the sheer guilt that I feel in the afternoons missing time with my family. I lowkey hate it. But nevertheless, I persist.

 

When I get done it’s around 7 AM and I drive back home to get the kids up and ready for their day. There is enjoyment in these moments for me. Waking them up, getting the food, joking with them…etc.

 

This morning, something different happened. It was a God moment for me. You know, one of those things where sense in your Spirit that He is wanting you to notice something and to see and to listen for the moment. It was a moment of active participation in some sort of revelation.

 

I work at The Mission of Winter Haven (www.themissionwh.com) and we help less fortunate and homeless individuals. We are a day room ministry and provide basic necessity services like a hot breakfast and lunch every day; along with a food pantry, hygiene, showers, and try and connect with resources where we can better assist those we serve. We are also extremely intentional with building relationships and knowing those we serve intimately. Knowing their names, their past, their hopes, and dreams, and just being with them every single day. I love working here. It is my passion and calling. I love these beautiful people with all their mess and baggage. They are so special and a light on some of my darker days. God has given me a larger family with them, and it is something I cherish.

 

I have been out of town for a week, only to come home and have the whole family get the stomach bug. I haven’t been to work in over a week and man, have I missed it. I’m blessed that I have a job where I can honestly say I wake up excited to go in and do what we do for who we do it for. I can’t really explain it, but it is a part of me and a part that I will continue to hold close to my heart and I will more than likely die doing this job and being their pastor.

 

Back to this morning… I am driving back home from the gym, which is located centrally in our downtown area. As I was leaving, I was seeing folks that I serve walking towards The Mission. 2 folks by the gym, as I turned 3 more on Central Ave, and continuing down I saw around 10 more on side streets and further down Central. The sun was not even peaking over the horizon, but these precious people were making their way to their safety and home while they have no home. It was an amazing moment for me. Watching them emerge from their sleeping/hiding spots to head to the place where they are forever welcome.

 

There were a few Scriptures that came to my mind when I was seeing all this happening. Ezekiel 47: 7-12:

 

Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other.  Then he said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the sea become fresh. It will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the othersbecome fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. And it will come about that fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to Eneglaim there will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish will be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very many. But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.

 

Another was Revelation 22: 1-5, 17.

 

Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

 

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

 

And the last one is a Scripture that we often refer to make sense of what we do at The Mission found in Isaiah 58: 6-12, and this was followed by the portion that Christ opened the scroll of Isaiah in chapter 61 to in a way, inaugurate his ministry publicly.

 

"Is this not the fast which I choose,To loosen the bonds of wickedness,To undo the bands of the yoke,And to let the oppressed go freeAnd break every yoke?“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungryAnd bring the homeless poor into the house;When you see the naked, to cover him;And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? “Then your light will break out like the dawn,And your recovery will speedily spring forth;And your righteousness will go before you;The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’If you remove the yoke from your midst,The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,And if you give yourself to the hungryAnd satisfy the desire of the afflicted,Then your light will rise in darknessAnd your gloom will become like midday.“And the Lord will continually guide you,And satisfy your desire in scorched places,And give strength to your bones;And you will be like a watered garden,And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.“Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;You will raise up the age-old foundations;And you will be called the repairer of the breach,The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.

 

The Mission is this place for these people. I saw it in how they were making their way, sluggishly awakening to find their way to the river of life in their town. As the sun was rising, they were moving to the place where the source of life is for them, carrying all their earthly belongings with them. The place where they find physical and spiritual sustenance. This place where the Lord absolutely is and they are welcome and called continuously into the presence of the God who sees, loves, and cares for them amid their turmoil and dysfunction. They were walking at the break of day, when it was still dark, towards the source of light for them. It’s the place where, sometimes without their knowing, Christ is with them.

 

One of my favorite pieces of art is The Christ of the Breadlines by Fritz Eichenberg in 1951. It depicts Jesus Christ standing in line at a soup kitchen, waiting with the rest of the down-and-outers for His turn to be served. In front of Him and behind Him are other raggedy people, hands in their pockets, wrapped up in blankets, anxiously waiting for food, something they can’t procure on their own. They’re all together nomads, vagrants, and homeless.

 

I like this piece simply because it’s not a very typical depiction of Jesus. Eichenberg’s Jesus is weak. He’s wrapped in rags. He’s entirely in shadow. Nothing of prominence about His presence with the figures in the painting with Him being still. They stand, with the Lord of the universe, motionless in their poverty and hunger, wanting the same thing He wants—rest, fulfillment, and an end to suffering. The only light source in the entire image is Jesus’ halo, and it's central to the piece. By it and only by it does Eichenberg permit us to see that there are even any figures in the piece at all. The figure of Jesus is literally in the middle of the piece, but the details, the stuff that Eichenberg pays such attention to, are of those in the soup kitchen line with Jesus and not Jesus Himself. However, they can only be seen by the light of His crown.

 

The Light of Christ shines so bright at The Mission. This morning, I had the honor of being present to Christ showing me how important what we do for our folks is and how He works in seemingly the darkest places of our human existence. But this is exactly what the incarnation tells us time and time again that Christ does. He becomes human to show us what it is to be human and to be with humans, no matter the socioeconomics, demographics, or whatever would be a dividing factor of association. He always goes down and in, not up and out. We go down and in at The Mission. People come because they know this to be true even if they never consciously realizing it. This morning, I was made acutely aware of this reality. The children of God coming to His house. The sheep that I get to care for, feed, and nurture. The prodigals that I get to embrace and welcome. These humans, who bear the image of God and just need to be nudged in that direction to be reminded of their intrinsic value and supreme worth. The ones that Christ is with in the breadlines and the those He hung on the cross for. These beautiful wanderers at dawn, going to their source of life where the water is free, and Spirit and the Bride is always saying come.

 

What a blessing. What an honor. What a Christ.




Image: "The Christ of the Breadlines" by Fritz Eichenberg. Block print, 1951.

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Artwork credit: The Last Supper, Sadao Watanabe ,1977

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