Seeking The Lost
Stories
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"Seeking the Lost" by Peter Andrew Smith
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Seeking the Lost
by Peter Andrew Smith
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Jane walked as fast as she could down the sidewalk. She glanced at her watch. She was going to be late for the morning meeting at the church. She looked up to see a dirty, unkempt, and scruffy woman standing in her way. Jane wrinkled her nose.
"Do you mind?"
"I haven't eaten today," the woman said.
"And?"
"I was wondering if you could spare some change so I can get something to eat."
"No." Jane looked at her watch again. "I'm late as it is."
"Sorry to bother you, ma'am." The woman stepped to one side. "God bless you."
Jane started past but something in that off-handed blessing made her turn around. The woman slumped against the wall of a building with her eyes downcast. Now that Jane really looked at her she couldn't help but notice that she was young, probably not much older than Jane's daughter. If Debbie was on the street and hungry Jane would want someone to stop and help her. She sighed, deliberately ignored her watch, and knelt down beside the young woman.
"How long have you been on the streets?"
"A couple of weeks I guess." The young woman looked up with tired and red rimmed eyes. "It's hard to keep track of time out here."
"How long has it been since your last meal?"
She pulled out a crumpled bag of potato chips. "I found these yesterday."
"That's all you've had to eat?"
The young woman nodded. Jane rummaged through her pockets and offered the breakfast bar that she had grabbed on the way out the door.
"Thanks." The young woman tore it open and wolfed it down.
"Why don't you go home?"
"My parents threw me out when they moved. I don't know where they are."
"Do you have any family who might take you in?"
"No."
"Have you talked to all of them and asked?"
"The only one I didn't try was Nana." The young woman's shoulders slumped. "She won't care about me either."
Jane pulled out her cell phone. "Call her."
The young woman slowly punched in the numbers. She waited for what seemed like a long time then said softly. "Nana? Esta es Callie."
Jane couldn't follow the rapid Spanish Callie was speaking but understood enough to know she was telling her story about being on the streets. The look on her face said that her grandmother was listening. Jane watched the people walking past them on the busy sidewalk paying no attention to what was happening in front of them.
"Ma'am?" Callie was holding the phone out to her. "She doesn't speak English very well but Nana asked to talk to you."
"Hello?" Jane said.
"God bless you," Callie's grandmother said in a thick accent. "Ernesto and I have been looking for Callie. We have been praying that she was safe since that no good daughter of mine turned her out. She says that you fed her and helped her. God bless you."
A lump formed in Jane's throat. "You are welcome."
"We will come and get her and bring her home. Where are you?"
Jane started to look up at the street sign but her gaze never got beyond Callie's dirty clothes and hungry face. "Do you know where the church is on South Main Street?"
"The church with the tall steeple and bell? We have been past it many times. Is that where my little girl will be?"
"Yes, I'll take her there."
"I knew that God would have one of his people answer our prayers and help bring our granddaughter home. God bless you. Can I talk to my Callie to let her know we are coming?"
Jane handed the phone back to Callie and watched the relief flood her face. The young woman handed the phone back to Jane.
"My grandmother said she was meeting us at your church. Why not here?"
"There are some clothes at the church that would probably fit you and you'll have time to wash up before she comes." Jane held out her hand. "I expect your Nana would not care but I thought maybe you would feel better. Plus I think there is something in the kitchen I could get you to go with that breakfast bar."
"Nana told me when I was a little girl that God sends angels to help us when we are in need." Tears flowed down Callie's face. "I never believed her before today."
Jane took Callie in her arms and held her as the young woman sobbed. Jane didn't feel much like an angel remembering that she had almost walked past and rejected the cries for help. Yet in her heart she heard a voice saying: "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak..."
Peter Andrew Smith is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada who currently serves at St. James United Church in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the author of All Things Are Ready (CSS), a book of lectionary-based communion prayers, as well as many stories and articles, which can be found listed at www.peterandrewsmith.com.
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StoryShare, November 23, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
"Seeking the Lost" by Peter Andrew Smith
* * * * * * *
Seeking the Lost
by Peter Andrew Smith
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Jane walked as fast as she could down the sidewalk. She glanced at her watch. She was going to be late for the morning meeting at the church. She looked up to see a dirty, unkempt, and scruffy woman standing in her way. Jane wrinkled her nose.
"Do you mind?"
"I haven't eaten today," the woman said.
"And?"
"I was wondering if you could spare some change so I can get something to eat."
"No." Jane looked at her watch again. "I'm late as it is."
"Sorry to bother you, ma'am." The woman stepped to one side. "God bless you."
Jane started past but something in that off-handed blessing made her turn around. The woman slumped against the wall of a building with her eyes downcast. Now that Jane really looked at her she couldn't help but notice that she was young, probably not much older than Jane's daughter. If Debbie was on the street and hungry Jane would want someone to stop and help her. She sighed, deliberately ignored her watch, and knelt down beside the young woman.
"How long have you been on the streets?"
"A couple of weeks I guess." The young woman looked up with tired and red rimmed eyes. "It's hard to keep track of time out here."
"How long has it been since your last meal?"
She pulled out a crumpled bag of potato chips. "I found these yesterday."
"That's all you've had to eat?"
The young woman nodded. Jane rummaged through her pockets and offered the breakfast bar that she had grabbed on the way out the door.
"Thanks." The young woman tore it open and wolfed it down.
"Why don't you go home?"
"My parents threw me out when they moved. I don't know where they are."
"Do you have any family who might take you in?"
"No."
"Have you talked to all of them and asked?"
"The only one I didn't try was Nana." The young woman's shoulders slumped. "She won't care about me either."
Jane pulled out her cell phone. "Call her."
The young woman slowly punched in the numbers. She waited for what seemed like a long time then said softly. "Nana? Esta es Callie."
Jane couldn't follow the rapid Spanish Callie was speaking but understood enough to know she was telling her story about being on the streets. The look on her face said that her grandmother was listening. Jane watched the people walking past them on the busy sidewalk paying no attention to what was happening in front of them.
"Ma'am?" Callie was holding the phone out to her. "She doesn't speak English very well but Nana asked to talk to you."
"Hello?" Jane said.
"God bless you," Callie's grandmother said in a thick accent. "Ernesto and I have been looking for Callie. We have been praying that she was safe since that no good daughter of mine turned her out. She says that you fed her and helped her. God bless you."
A lump formed in Jane's throat. "You are welcome."
"We will come and get her and bring her home. Where are you?"
Jane started to look up at the street sign but her gaze never got beyond Callie's dirty clothes and hungry face. "Do you know where the church is on South Main Street?"
"The church with the tall steeple and bell? We have been past it many times. Is that where my little girl will be?"
"Yes, I'll take her there."
"I knew that God would have one of his people answer our prayers and help bring our granddaughter home. God bless you. Can I talk to my Callie to let her know we are coming?"
Jane handed the phone back to Callie and watched the relief flood her face. The young woman handed the phone back to Jane.
"My grandmother said she was meeting us at your church. Why not here?"
"There are some clothes at the church that would probably fit you and you'll have time to wash up before she comes." Jane held out her hand. "I expect your Nana would not care but I thought maybe you would feel better. Plus I think there is something in the kitchen I could get you to go with that breakfast bar."
"Nana told me when I was a little girl that God sends angels to help us when we are in need." Tears flowed down Callie's face. "I never believed her before today."
Jane took Callie in her arms and held her as the young woman sobbed. Jane didn't feel much like an angel remembering that she had almost walked past and rejected the cries for help. Yet in her heart she heard a voice saying: "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak..."
Peter Andrew Smith is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada who currently serves at St. James United Church in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the author of All Things Are Ready (CSS), a book of lectionary-based communion prayers, as well as many stories and articles, which can be found listed at www.peterandrewsmith.com.
*****************************************
StoryShare, November 23, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
