the glorious exchange

Ed sat down in the car, and I asked him what he wanted to eat. He responded with “a hamburger.” Alright, and so we headed towards the nearest McDonald’s. We walk in, Ed’s limping on his prosthetic leg and carrying his crutch, and we head to the cash registers. He says “I’ll just take a hamburger”, and I ask him what he really wants.

“Man, I haven’t had a Big Mac in years.”

So I buy him a Big Mac combo, I order a Big and Tasty (no tomato, no mayo, of course), and we sit down to eat. As I’m talking to Ed, I find out something peculiar: this man knows the Gospel better than most Christians. He knows that he can do nothing in and of himself, and that in fact, without God, he is utterly useless. He describes his relationship with his parents, his addiction to alcohol, and his incarceration for disorderly conduct all in terms of God’s grace and providence. This man is definitely saved…yet struggling. He’s been clean from alcohol since January, and I encouraged him in that, and invited him out to church when he got a chance.

We conclude our lunch with a promise to try to meet once a week for lunch. I give him my phone number (he has a cell phone), and I take him back to the shelter and we part ways.

We are thinking as a church to pair up our people with homeless people for “lunch dates” in the fall. Any ideas?