Global GospelSample

Finding Christ at the Edges

BY CHRIS PETERSON

Two years ago, I was going through a big transition in my life and feeling anxious and worried about what the next step in my vocation would be. My prayers and thoughts often revolved around asking for God’s guidance and expressing a desire to find meaningful work. I was living in Stockholm, and during that time of transition, a friend invited me to join him and some volunteers from his church in their outreach to the unhoused community who shelter in Stockholm’s central station.

I was glad for the invitation and joined the small group that went out each Saturday evening to the station to share a cup of coffee and a sandwich. The first time I joined the group, I noticed that I felt a bit anxious. How would we be received? How could I connect with people whose life situation was so different from mine?

After several experiences of walking through the station and meeting the people, I discovered that we were almost always graciously received with a warm greeting and a smile. I also noticed how people looked out for each other and often brought a coffee or a sandwich to a friend who was sleeping. It was clear to me that even amid hardship and want, there was a spirit of hospitality, care, and even humor in their community.

One evening, as we were finishing our walk through the station, we approached a man who was resting with his eyes closed by the entrance. As we drew closer, he opened his eyes and smiled at us. We asked if he would like a coffee. He gratefully received it and we talked for a few minutes. Then he said, “Brothers, would it be all right if I blessed you?” He lifted his hands and blessed us with all the love and goodwill in his heart. My friend and I were so moved that we walked in silence for some time on the way back to the church. When we found our words, we both expressed the feeling that we had been in the presence of Jesus and had been blessed through that man.

God was working on my heart during those evenings, revealing my false assumptions about people. In the presence of my unhoused neighbors, I realized God was already present and active among them and that perhaps the person who had the greater spiritual need and who received the most blessing was me!

In Luke 4, Jesus announces the beginning of his public ministry, declaring that in and through him God’s favor would rest upon the poor, the oppressed, and all who would humbly receive him. The hometown crowd in Nazareth was initially filled with joy and amazed by what Jesus said, but quickly turned against him when he challenged their long-held assumptions about how God’s saving power was at work in the world. They rejected Messiah Jesus, largely because his grace and mercy extended beyond the bounds of their own, to the outsider and even to their enemies. Jesus, it seems, is challenging them into a much more expansive vision of God’s saving work.

Perhaps that was the lesson I most needed to learn during my time of waiting for God to show me my next steps. God is at work in all places and in all people, and it is first my heart and my eyes that need to be transformed to see Jesus and join in his work. All we are asked to do is humbly place ourselves in the service of God and neighbor right where we are. As we open ourselves to others, trusting that God is there, we join with God, we are blessed, and others are blessed. We may discover that our greatest calling and vocation is to receive the love of God and share it with others.

Reflection Question

How might God be inviting you to join his work in people and places you might not expect?

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, as we encounter you in the Gospels, we are amazed by your deeds of love and compassion for those who longed to receive your forgiveness and healing. We ask your forgiveness for the ways we reject your mission by judging and excluding the people you love. Help us, Lord, through the power of your Spirit, to love you more deeply and to join with your saving work in people and in places that stretch our faith and imagination. Amen.