December 31: Calling the Cops on Jesus
♫ Music:
Thursday, December 31
Scripture: Matthew 8:20
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
CALLING THE COPS ON JESUS
When a parishioner from a tiny suburb of Davidson, North Carolina saw a homeless man sleeping on a bench in front of the St. Alban's Episcopal Church, she knew immediately what she had to do: she called the police. But the homeless man that caused such consternation for this church attendee was actually a sculpture by artist Timothy P. Schmalz that serves as the basis for today's devotional. Homeless Jesus was inspired, the artist tells us, by Matthew 25: 40: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." Wrapped in a blanket, face completely shrouded, with visible holes on His feet the only identifying clue, the sculpture is remarkably life like. While it is easy enough for me to condemn the parishioner for her thoughtless, and very pointedly un-Christian, response to this work of art, I have to pause. Schmalz allows a space on the bench next to the figure of Jesus, space enough for another person to sit down beside Him, and I feel I had better take a load off and rest a spell, as the generally kind folks in North Carolina might actually say. I imagine myself having a conversation with the Lord, with the Homeless Jesus, and it might go something like this:
"Lord, I can't believe somebody actually called the police on You. I can't believe how narrow minded some people can be."
"What have you done with Me today?"
"I went to church. It was amazing, really great message, and that new band leader is incredible."
"Did you see Me at church today?"
"Well, I praised Your name, and I clapped and sang."
"Did you see Me?"
I get an immediate and overwhelming sense that I am being stared straight through.
I think of all the vain and useless thoughts that had wafted through my brain on arriving at church: the frustration caused by an inconvenient parking spot, the overall prosperity of the gathered congregants, and most intensely, the barriers that would keep Homeless Jesus out of the sanctuary if He were to show up out of the blue.
As Matthew 8:20 makes clear, Jesus can identify with the most marginalized people because He lowered Himself to experience their plight. Too often we shut our eyes to the suffering of those who are often only a block or two away—or even right in front of us. John Michael Talbot's counter-intuitive lyrics for today's devotional music make perfect sense from Jesus’ perspective: "Lady Poverty enter my door, give me the riches of my Lord. If Jesus was a poor man, then like Him I too must be."
PRAYER
Lord, open our eyes to the needy amongst us. Grant us empathy, help us to give generously, allow us to enter into the righteous poverty of flesh and spirit that draws us more closely to You.
Amen.
Marc Malandra, Associate Professor of English
Jesus the Homeless
Timothy Schmalz
Bronze Sculpture
Regis College, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
About the Artist and Art
For over 20 years, Timothy Schmalz has been sculpting large scale figurative monuments for the Catholic church. Working in bronze, his pieces are installed worldwide. Schmalz describes his sculptures as visual translations of the Gospels. Creating epic pieces that connect with viewers through design and details, Timothy seeks to not only touch the viewer on an emotional level but to also feel a ‘part’ of the piece. Jesus the Homeless (also known as Homeless Jesus), depicts Jesus as a homeless person, sleeping on a park bench. His face and hands are obscured, hidden under a blanket, but crucifixion wounds on his feet reveal his identity. The sculpture has been described as a "visual translation" of the passage in the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus tells his disciples, "as you did it to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me.” Schmalz wants his pieces to be provocative: “That’s essentially what the sculpture is there to do. It's meant to challenge people.” The original sculpture was installed at Regis College, University of Toronto, Canada in early 2013. Other casts have since been installed across North America and in Dublin, Ireland.
Website: www.sculpturebytps.com
About The Music
Lady Poverty
Lyrics
Lady poverty, love me tonight,
Dress me in sackcloth where once I wore white;
And disperse my fine linens to the naked and the poor,
Lady poverty, enter my door, give me the riches of my Lord.
Let all suffering come to an end,
Embracing all hunger, let me call it my friend.
Let my love be made perfect without seeking reward;
Lady poverty, enter my door, give me the riches of my Lord.
And if Jesus was a poor man,
Then like him I too must be.
And if Jesus was a beggar,
Than lift me up to my knees.
For if love never seeks out its own,
If love always gives when there’s no reward shown,
Let us be beggars and paupers and servants at best,
Labouring always so that others might rest.
That the sweet name of Jesus our tongues now confess.
If Jesus was a poor man,
Then like him I too must be.
And if Jesus was a beggar,
Than lift me up to my knees.
Lady poverty, love me tonight,
Dress me in sackcloth where once I wore white;
And disperse my fine linens to the naked and the poor -
Lady poverty, enter my door, give me the riches of my Lord.
About the Composer/Performer
John Michael Talbot (b. 1954) is a major figure in the Christian music scene. His songs were among the first by a Catholic artist to gain acceptance by Protestant listeners. Talbot won the Dove Award for Worship Album of the Year, Light Eternal with producer and longtime friend, Phil Perkins. He is one of only nine artists to receive the President's Merit Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In 1988 he was named the No.1 Christian Artist by Billboard. Today, Talbot is an active monk and minister, traveling over nine months per year throughout the world inspiring and renewing the faith of Christians of all denominations through sacred music, teaching, and motivational speaking.
Website: www.johnmichaeltalbot.com