by Pastor Jeff Logan,
On a good day, the work of the pastors at Grace-Street Ministry can feel like an exercise in futility, something like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. And now, to add to the chaos and the difficult emotions, we’re trying to manage the angry questions about why the recently arrived asylum seekers are receiving such an outpouring of love and concern from across the local area while they, the homeless, are being consigned to a future shelter as far from the city center as possible. At the core of that question and that angst is the unanswerable question: why, as Americans, do we believe that there are two classes of those who need help—the deserving and the undeserving poor?
If you are a follower of Jesus, you know that he made no distinction between the deserving and the undeserving poor, between those who deserve a hand up and those who should fumble in the dark grasping at bootstraps. He loved all the people who struggled on the margins, no matter the circumstances that led them to their difficult place. And it’s this love that is the answer to our despair, because no matter how dark things get, there is always the light of love that illuminates the horizon with each new day. And with this realization, we can see past the darkness and see the light that lurks on the edges of things—the generosity of friend to friend when they share what little they have; the love of couples who may have had a screaming argument ten minutes ago, but now are sitting quietly and holding hands; the miracle of people passed out in the courtyard one week, and then anchoring an art opening in Portland the next; the remarkable journey of a writer who is honing his craft in adult education classes with new Americans just learning English, and finding, with them, that we all have stories to tell.
There is always light, if you just look in the right direction. And for those of us who attempt, as best we can, to walk in the sandals of that Galilean peasant, we have a special compass that can lead us to the horizon of a new dawn—come hard to starboard and dodge the looming iceberg. We have places to go.
Pastor Jeff Logan was ordained by the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine in 2015. He has been working as a co-pastor with Grace-Street Ministry since his ordination, and was hired as the new Executive Director in November of 2018. For more information on Grace-Street Ministry, please visit our webpage, gracestreetministry.blogspot.com, or contact Jeff directly by email at gracestreetministry@gmail.com. Donations of Dunkin' Donuts cards, socks, or money are always gratefully received.
