Monday, February 26, 2024

An Unexpected Visit

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." – Matthew 25:35-40

He was standing just outside my office door. I didn't hear him come into the church and was startled when I did see him. He was dressed in his usual…black pants, t-shirt, and a black full-length overcoat. Most folks in the church didn't like the way he dressed. They said he scared them. Today there was something different about him though. His face was sad and he had tears running down his weathered cheeks. In his outstretched hands was a lifeless white dove. He held her with care as he tried to convey his desire for her. She was lying on the sidewalk in front of him down the street, and the one place he chose to come with her was to church.

Please allow me to expound before I go on. We'll call him Larry for the sake of confidentiality. Larry was unhoused, and had been for a very long time. How long I'm not sure, but his tan, leathery skin from exposure to the South Florida sun indicated it had been years. Larry also lived with some sort of mental health illness (another one of his features that people were scared of). He usually had a skewed expression and was very quiet.

I asked him how I could help him as he stood before me with the departed avian. Larry wanted to give her a proper burial. I agreed, jumped up out of my chair and walked with him to the food pantry. I don't know why I went into the food pantry. Perhaps to find an empty container with which we could dig a hole. As soon as I opened the door, on the shelf right in front of us, was a beach pail and shovel. We walked to the back of our building, dug a hole in the dirt, and he placed her in ever so gently. I said a prayer, he said a prayer, and we closed the funeral for our friend.

We are called to serve others. The church is supposed to be a place where we help others with a joyful spirit. Let us continue to help one another, love one another, care for one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, and support one another. Let's do that for each other, and for those outside our walls.

Leslie Rutland-Tipton