Good Friday
Holy week is hitting me (Pastor Zach) in an especially intense way this year. As I walk with Jesus through the events of this week, I am reminded that the way to Easter, to eternal life and to the victory of the Prince of Peace over all that dehumanizes and destroys his people, leads through the great loss of Good Friday. The agony in the garden, the betrayal of friends, the blood drops on his brow, his beatings, his mockery, his body nailed to the cross, that silent day in the tomb… all of this came - and had to come - before the bright delight, the sudden world-shattering joy of Easter. The greatest gain came only through the greatest sort of loss.
I’m feeling that with special intensity this year because of the very great losses we’ve suffered or witnessed in our community in recent months. In some of these cases, we can already see Jesus’ resurrection power at work. In others, we are yearning for it with all our hearts, though loss and grief is all we see now. Let me share some stories with you.
CJ
I’ve known CJ for years. During a cold snap late this winter, CJ showed up midweek at the church. He asked to come in out of the cold and change his bandages in the church. What bandages, I asked, as I led him inside. He had been sleeping outside in this weather (single digits) and his foot had slipped out of its covers over night. Frostbite set in, and by the time he got to the hospital, there was no saving his big toe. They amputated it and released him with strict orders about caring for the wound, orders which were tough to follow when you sleep in abandoned, half-collapsed buildings.
We sat for quite a while talking. CJ was in no hurry with the job and was in a chatty and surprising joyful mood. He talked a lot about what “Father” had been telling him. CJ talks all the time about Father. That’s how he talks about God, like the word is God’s first name. “Father’s really been talking to me over this one, and you know what, Pastor Zach, I don’t think he wants me on the streets anymore.”
It was a big deal hearing this from CJ. He is mentally ill and chose, years ago, to leave behind the meds and the institutions that had structured his life up till then. He’s more or less chosen to live on the street and is a fixture around these parts. He carried dual katanas on his back for some time, then he switched to machetes. The cops didn’t like it when he took to carrying replica guns (not the real thing). He sees himself as a protector of the neighborhood - he fights bad people and demons both. I think some of those demon fights might be real.
Losing this toe, however, and the time he had spent in the hospital seem to have clarified things a bit for him. Father’s voice was seeming a bit clearer to him, saying maybe it was time to listen to some of those who had offered him, at various points, helping in getting off the street. I told him I thought our Father wants him in a warm, safe home and that he was hearing well.
We lingered a long time. I mostly listened. CJ shared his thoughts on the news, on theology, on various local happenings. In the end I asked if I could pray with him. The beauty of the moment made my throat heavy and my tongue thick. As we prayed, my heart was strangely warmed, my love for this brother kindled to a new intensity. I prayed that he would take the steps he needs to take to get off the street. I prayed for the wholeness of his body and his spirit and his mind. I prayed that we, and many others, could be organized together by the Spirit of God to help our brother.
After we prayed, we parted. I’ve only seen him a couple times since - each time briefly in the midst of a busy day here, unable to get much of an update. When I spoke to him last week, though, that clarity had not left him. He looked clean, his wounds were healing. CJ lost a toe, but he gained a clear perception of his Father’s will for him, which is not a sleeping bag off a back alley, but a proper home. May God grant it to him!
Michelle
I met Michelle nearly fourteen years ago, shortly after she had finally gotten a roof over her head following one of several bouts of homeless that she and her family have suffered over the years. She had lost her eldest son not long before to cancer and her heart was broken.
She and her family have done a lot of healing since then, but things have been tough for them all along. Recently they lost Michelle’s mom, who had taken them in at her place and was a rock for them all. Then Michelle got the news that her (physical) heart was failing and without a major open-heart surgery to install a mechanical pump, she would die within a few months.
She was so scared, but in her fear she turned to God. She cried out for help. In the aftermath of the surgery, she crashed and was rushed in for a second emergency surgery. After that, she stabilized and made it through. In the days that followed the Holy Spirit moved in an unprecedented way in her heart. She found joy, strength, resolve, and focus that she has never really known before. She made it out of recovery weeks ahead of schedule. During the hospital visit above she spoke to us of the Scriptures she’d been reading and she told us, “I’m so hungry for God. I want him, I want to live my life for him. I want to get to church again. I feel so happy!”
She shared some of those same sentiments only a handful of weeks later when she made it, with the whole family in tow, to her first Sunday service in a long time! We applauded and cheered her, and her kids, and her sister-in-law. We celebrated together how Jesus had worked a kind of resurrection for Michelle and for all of them.
Ed
Last year Ed was leaving a sister ministry not too far from here. As he left, a mentally disturbed man assaulted him with a baseball bat, caving in his head and causing massive brain trauma. The doctors managed to save his life only by removing a large piece of his skull. If you look closely above you can see where his head is concave instead of convex.
Ed and his family have been homeless off and on through much of the time I’ve known them. Ed and his sons have struggled mightily with addiction as well. A few weeks ago, after a very long recovery process, I saw Ed walk into the church for one of our Friday ministries. I was amazed and delighted by the sight, not just to see him physically recovered and back with us but because I had, quite literally, never seen him look so good. He was beaming and laughing and bright eyed.. and those eyes were clear! He was doing great physically, too. They had found some help and were in a home. He was sober, off drugs and drink both! One of his boys, a young man now, came bounding down behind him and proudly announced to the crowd of people downstairs in the clothing closet “I’m sober too and staying sober!” A literal cheer went up at this word!
The picture you see above was taken today, as I write this, Ed was over to grab lunch with us, shop the racks downstairs, see friends. I sat down and caught up for as long as I could before urgent matters took me away. Before we parted though, I invited Ed to come for Easter service… we’re still working on getting him to join us for worship. Jesus is clearly not done with Ed yet!
Daniel
I have a friend named Daniel. While I write this - right this minute - he is sleeping on a couch behind me in the church library, which I use as an office. He has been homeless as long as I’ve known him. Two days ago, he was attacked by a dog who nearly took off a large chunk of his face around his right eye. He has dozens of stitches above and around that eye, and his face is swollen and purple. He’s in terrible pain. And he has nowhere to lay his head. Earlier this year we discovered he had been sleeping in the spot you see above behind some bushes on our property. He liked sleeping there because he was less likely to be bothered there compared to the abandoned garages he usually tries to bunk down in where street addicts and other homeless people, some of them unstable, compete for space.
Earlier Chi and Dami (our Community Development Director and one of our Associate Pastors) went to drop off medical scripts which the ER had given him but which he had not yet been able to fill. Soon I will go pick them up for him. Then I’m going to work on figuring out accommodations for him tonight. We have so many homeless friends and have no way to help them all, but we know Daniel cannot sleep in his condition in some abandoned garage or behind some set of bushes. So, we’ll do what we can.
All I see in Daniel’s story right now is loss. There is only a cross, only pain. No glimmer of Easter is visible to me yet here. But I believe that Jesus rose from the dead, so I believe there is hope for Daniel.
I believe that even here, even for him, something beautiful can come out of these awful circumstances. I am praying and working for that. I hope you’ll join me and those of us here in doing that.
God is doing something remarkable among us and around us at EDF. He is bringing people and marshaling resources. God wants to resurrect the east side of Dayton!
It’s Good Friday today and as I listen to my friend moaning in his sleep behind me, I feel the pain of it. But today, this very day, on this Good Friday, there were many signs of the Resurrection on its way. Each of the images below, which were taken today, capture a bit of that Easter light glimmering even now on Good Friday.
I really hope you will pray for us here. I really hope you will consider supporting us financially. I really hope you’ll consider calling us to arrange to volunteer. We need the help. The pain here is real. The needs very great… but so is the harvest! It’s Good Friday, but the Easter light is already dawning.
To give, you can go to East Dayton Fellowship - Giving
To pray, you know what to do!
To volunteer, give us a call at 937-234-7028.
Thank you!