Hey What's Your Name?

The poor you will always have with you, Mark 14:7

 

I have a new job. This is the latest in my retirement voluntary involvements. I hand out gift cards to homeless and other needy persons in our suburban community. Who gets these surprises? Those whom I perceive to be the appropriate recipients of the many many gift cards as donated by people in churches and mosques in this corner of our city. 

I got the job just by opening my mouth.  A group from a local chapter of this city's Interfaith Council, to which I have been recently appointed, was considering a local service project which might be coronavirus-doable and useful in our neighborhood.  With awareness of encroaching suburban poverty especially in this pandemic season it was decided a "Seasonal Collection"of certain used items and groceries and toiletries and gift cards to be forwarded to Salvation Army and a Veterans Centre, would be taken.  And also there are homeless among us. Who knows some of those homeless?  "I do," said I, thanks to my endless daily walks all over our community. Where do they come from?  Downtown, most of them because of good C-Train service, and some of them sleep here maybe in some of our backyards or garages! 😊 It's true; I have had conversations with a few of them. I became the instant expert and promptly my committee entrusted me with hundreds of dollars of donated loot.

Now with one week's experience on said subject here are my findings, not at all in order of importance:  1) Some are hungry and grateful to the extent that they almost fall before your feet; 2) One guy was seemingly so gratified he forgot to say thank you, dropped his 'poor me' homeless sign, abandoned his post and purposely entered front door of the fast food place; 3) Several of my gifting transactions made under the watchful eye of local police; 4) Several have cried the blues because local shop owners keep chasing them away from their posts; 5) One elder gentleman is available out and about sitting in choice sunny spots because he can only stand his nursing home about two hours at a time; 6) One morning at 6:00 a.m. my heart ached for a young indigenous guy who had walked around all night; 7) Several times I perceived recipients very likely hailing from good homes, as evidenced by recent make up and okay clothing - very young and possibly kicked out of the house for whatever reason; 8) Several have been quick to ask my name, and usually followed by their name - good mutual introduction; 9) And one local guy I have known at least a year, will not be caught dead going to one of the downtown shelters, very articulate and likeable, speaks with conviction and obvious knowledge.  He is my local resident homeless, my friend, also friend of the police and a number of others.

These impressions may simply be repeated over and over in the next weeks, or a whole new batch of experiences, impressions, may yet descend upon this freebie guy. At this point I simply share a bit of perspective, yes from this strident slightly opinionated preacher trucker whom many of you recognize from day one of my blogging! I says it as I sees it. I share from the vantage of but one week at this new 'job', but also of one who's been around the block a few times.  

 

Firstly the scripture above. Neither I nor my ministry colleagues are under any illusion of solving the poverty situation. In fact we know we may be contributing to it by handing out freebies; but also we know we are staving off the discomfort of hunger pangs and offering a gentle human touch to some who need it. Jesus offers this very perspective interestingly already present in the Old Testament, There will always be poor people in the land (Deuteronomy 15:11) and the O.T. advice of attitude to the poor is almost identical to what Jesus teaches in the Gospels. Tightfistedness or hardheartedness is inappropriate, whether by Law or Gospel or Quran, or Book of Mormon or whatever sacred text one lives by. 

Secondly, relationships. I was pleasantly surprised by the donations coming from my church. Our people responded from their hearts to an identified need.  My cynical side might say, it is an easy contribution to make. Indeed it is; almost with no effort they are able to provide from their affluence enough resources for some of us to do some good. My grateful side, however, hastens to add, if they would not share, then even those of us involved with some of 'the least of these' would not have even the wherewithall for a quick fix. This is where cheerful giving comes in.  Relationships of grace and generosity are absolutely essential, and they are life giving in a faith community. 

Relationships with the recipients, the poor, also is proving to be life giving. Who of us are the needy?  All of us; in fact some of us 'givers' are very needy! These corona days as people are stuck with one another I hear many comments from fellow Christians, from relatives and friends, that sickness and death and family stresses more than ever are facing us, regardless of financial status. Relationships are relationships! Some of the homeless are out there because of breakdown in relationships with partners, with parents, friends, enemies, drug abuse, mental illness, etc. Some are out there because of a choice to get away from a hell-hole relationship. Many rich people pay $ thousands and hundreds of thousands also to get out of hell-hole marriages. Some in our affluent homes wish they could die or even commit suicide because relationships are so bad. I also hear touching stories about kind-hearted homeless individuals helping out others in similar circumstance. So, generosity is a good remedy -  good for us whether rich or poor. Humility about our give-away is good cheerful giving (2 Cor 9:7).  It is a good way to honor one another, and for me certainly a way of honoring God the giver of all.

And of course, I cannot but wax eloquent on at least one profound (or otherwise) learning. All of us are created beings, here for a reason.  Yes, huge topic I know, and I promise to be brief. As noted in the early impressions list above, I have already encountered "What's your name?" several times.  So far I have chosen to honor this with the simple first name; that always reciprocated with their first name. I shall continue to reflect on this as the weeks go by. I think there is a significant thing going on here.  It is good to identify ourselves; our name being a most basic and also sacred way of recognizing we have been created. I am reminded of a book which I will probably never mention in a Tim Horton's conversation, a very scholarly work by a longtime friend, The Challenge is in the Naming , Lydia Neufeld Harder (Winnipeg: CMU Press, 2018).  Writing for the academic community from her faith perspective as an Anabaptist, she goes through the gymnastics and rigor of quotes upon quotes (her endnotes and bibliography almost as thick as the text itself) to present a profound simple thesis; God is best named within the hermeneutic community. "What's that?" would say all my siblings including my colorful alcoholic brother, and all my gift card recipients and most fellow church members. My answer to all the non-academics is that the hermeneutic community is simply those of us who live by what we together understand God to be (check out  Matt 18:20). Yup, that's it. Touchingly familiar here, also our 'naming of God' not at all dissimilar to our given names. My two grandchildren were named by their maternal grandfather who was an Indigenous elder (R.I.P. Herb) who had received the names in a dream, and we have confirmed their names in a ceremony with family and church friends. 

 

"What's your name?" Now I have a fresh appreciation for my name, my wife and children's and extended family's names, as well as for my Creator, I AM. Hmm, also a new appreciation for my Muslim friends who get offended when us Christians mess around with our trinitarian descriptions of the Holy one. Our hermeneutic experience of God is a part of the naming, says Harder. I give thanks for a fresh new appreciation for names (and also why my brother insists the Higher Power of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings is adequate and also very essential).  Quite a topic brought on by the query of a few homeless. 😇

 

Indeed God is here in these holy exchanges I have happened upon in these last several days. These occasions of God are coming my way equally at the point of a smile, an exchange of first names, or giving or receiving of the gift card.