Street-corner preaching, blogger style

Last Sunday, just a little bit north of Macon, Georgia, Handsome Hombre and I stopped to switch drivers and gas-up the U-Haul.

While standing at the de-coffeeing station, I noticed a bunch of Black men who were VERY well dressed. Suits. Shiny shoes.

Washing my hands, I ventured a guess "So have you gentlemen been out preaching?"

It was a good guess. They were on their way back from Savannah, Georgia and heading to Birmingham, Alabama. They had been street-corner preaching and my guess is that they teamed a young guy with a grizzled, old veteran based on the exact match in numbers between the young dudes and the gray-headed men.

One of the gray-hairs was a marvelous whistler and we chatted a bit. He told me that he had been saved after his 32 year-old brother had been stabbed by a girl "friend". That is when he gave himself to God. He knew he could not keep living he life he had been living.

We talked briefly about what Bible stories or verses had the most traction for that kind of Evangelism.

My opinion is that the story of the Prodigal Son is the heat-seeking missile for converting people who tried sinful-ways and now see it does not lead them where they want to go.

For those of us who grew up in the Faith and never strayed (much), the story of the Prodigal Son seems trite. It is anything but.

Many sinners cling to their sinful lifestyles because they are SURE nobody has ever strayed as far as they did. They cannot believe that there is a path back for them.

Luke 15:11

And Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ (ERJ1) And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.  And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate (ERJ2), and no one gave him anything.

 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father (ERJ3). But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet (ERJ4). And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. (ERJ5)

 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’” (ERJ6)

Note ERJ1: To say "I want my inheritance" was tantamount to saying, "You are dead to me." Those who choose to live a sinner's life say exactly that to God.

Note ERJ2: Pigs are unclean and to have to care for them would be repulsive and insulting to an observant Jew. Having to eat the pig's food would be even more degrading, and even that was denied the sinner.

Note ERJ3: Foundational conditions of salvation and forgiveness. Change of heart, words followed by deeds.

Note ERJ4: "Robes...": clothes define the person. Judges wear robes. Soldiers wear uniforms and badges of authority. By giving the sinner a robe, it defines him as a member of the family and gave him authority to command servants and farm-hands. 

"...Ring..." rings were used to "sign" contracts since few people wrote, parchment was rare and super-expensive and ink faded. A ring was rolled in hot-wax or soft clay to seal a deal. The father was giving the sinner the firm's platinum credit-card.

"...Shoes..." the roads were covered with shit. They were unclean by definition. Shoes were protection against what was unclean. Incidentally, they protected your feet from cuts and infection and other physical dangers.

Those three gifts were hugely significant to the people who were listening to Jesus. Robes = full-member of family. Ring = access to heaven. Shoes = protection against hazards and temptations here on earth.

Note ERJ5: Thumbnail description of heaven to a starving person.

Note ERJ6: A caution to those of us who never strayed (very much) from the path. We have already been blessed. We already have the robes, the ring and the shoes. We need to be on-guard against envy of those who have recently seen-the-light.

NOTE: I had this posted before reading my blog-roll and seeing that TB also wrote about the Prodigal Son.