Eight years ago tonight, it was a damp, RAINY night (just like it is tonight.) I lived in a North Jersey suburb just a few miles away from Newark, my birthplace, and our church had a Gospel Ministry at a MISSION in Newark. As it was my turn to preach again, I decided on a "Christmas" message about how Christ came down from Heaven and humbled Himself to be on this earth, and I got the idea to WALK down to the Mission as a way to build bridges to the men we ministered to.
In my self-published book "Preaching to the Choirless" I recounted, more than once, how the guys who come to the Mission for food and lodging are often HOMELESS and look upon those of us who drive down from the suburbs once a month as "out-of-touch." God put it in my heart to do something dramatic to illustrate just how far JESUS came, when He was born, to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21.)
It was a crazy, but effective idea...and a DANGEROUS one because I'd have to walk (briskly, I might add) through some bad sections of the city, for four miles, on a Friday night. Before I launched out from the church parking lot, my good friend DAN LOFFREDO insisted on walking with me. Our pastor PRAYED with us before we left, told us (jokingly) that we're crazy and oh, he used the occasion to urge me to dress up better on Sundays at church, not so CASUAL (Lol). So Dan and I walked and got to the Mission in RECORD TIME.......we got there safely, with God's Help and WAY ahead of the church van with the others who were part of the Ministry (song leading, prayer, Scripture reading, Testimony, etc.)
Dan and I decided to walk around the corner from the Mission, which was still closed at the time, to the Muslim Market...that's where I got the unusual-for-me SODA in the picture above. (I needed a boost of energy after that long, rapid WALK, you see!!) While we were in the store, the Islamic owner asked Dan and I "What are you guys doing down HERE tonight, in this unsafe neighborhood?" Dan answered "We're waiting for the MISSION to open." The man looked at our very PLAIN clothing and assumed we were going to the Mission as those who would be preached TO, Lol!! "Everyone deserves a second chance," he said, shaking his head.
Dan explained that WE WERE GOING TO THE MISSION TO PREACH CHRIST and as we walked back, laughing, I said to him, (referring to how the man thought WE were homeless), "Maybe Pastor is right, I do need to start dressing up better" Lol!!
When I got up to preach, that ISLAMIC SODA* I drank kicked in and energized my BODY as the Holy Spirit strengthened my SOUL. I proclaimed the glories of JESUS CHRIST, WHO CAME TO SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS with a freedom, and abandon, such as I've rarely known!!
And, when the men at the Mission heard me recount why we walked down there to be with them, God used it to focus their attention and understanding more on THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. As always, people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care and that certainly proved true again on THAT rainy night. (And if you can't get someone's attention, it doesn't matter HOW accurate your sermon is!!)
All praise to the One Who died for my sins and the sins of ALL who believe.
And yes, He came down a VERY long way just to do it.
* I'll drink their soda but NOT their Kool-Aid!!
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