Thursday, February 4, 2010

The prayer of a homeless man

I visit the United Methodist Church
the one on the corner where
the homeless panhandle
for their daily bread
I sit in the right front pew, alone
The minister asks us to stand
for a song of dedication
It is the final hymn
The organist positions her hands
on the keys, the music begins
and voices are raised to
“…Take my life and let it be…”
I lift up my voice in song
I am filled with the Spirit of God
A man not in church attire
runs down the isle to the altar
and drops violently to his knees to pray
He looks like he might be homeless
he has that look of desperation his face
The minister kneels down beside him
I struggle to sing the song
but I cannot even though I try
the tears flow down my cheeks
and inside I am broken for that man
And all the homeless people in the land
And I say, “dear Lord it shouldn’t be”
And then I hear the words,“consecrated to thee”
and I think if all my tears went up to the Lord as a prayer
then they were not in vain.

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