Graffiti Church
I took my son to a relatively unknown park today, thanks to a tip from a friend. When my son and I arrived, we saw friends from church and school! They were surprised at the new park as well, being so close to our homes!What was also surprising was the new graffiti on one of the freshly painted buildings. We as parents wondered why would someone do that? All the kids playing stood in stark contrast to the reality the grown-ups knew about the graffiti. But yet, the vandal wanted to be heard. There was even barbed wire fence beyond the wall. Amazing.
We all have stories we so desperately want to tell. We want people to care deeply for us and hear us out. One of the cool things about being a part of a community of faith is that this actually happens, but it's messy. Graffiti is like that. Messy. Not the easiest way (or legal), to get a message across. But if our "messiness" is not heard, how can we ever get our messiness clean?
I want to take you to an incredible story of a pastor who went against incredible odds to pastor a church, oddly enough, called the Graffiti church. I've met this man and his family and his church, through a partnership several years ago. It's messy. But cleaning is going on there. Check out the work of God there in the lower east side of Manhattan. Take time to read the graffiti. People want to be heard. Cleaned up? Absolutely. They must be heard first. Then cleansing can come.
8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jn 13:8-9
0 comments:
Post a Comment