Dignity, image restoration...

There was something beautifully profound about last Sunday. As we were praying after we were packing up, all the images of all the faces that came through the line poured through my mind.

The courtyard was such a different space compared to the broken pavement of Queens Manor. Here there was a green space, trees, leaves changing color and dying leaves floating downward. It as a space filled with metaphors about life. But mostly, it made me think about human dignity...

“We are not to reflect on the wickedness of men but to look to the image of God in them, an image which, covering and obliterating their faults, an image which, by its beauty and dignity, should allure us to love and embrace them.”

John Calvin

I think sometimes we can make inner city ministry about " us ", sometimes insidiously we end up feeding our ego, our religious or spiritual pride. We like to be seen as feeding the poor, it makes us look good. It can be very dangerous. I think CARTS always needs to reflect from time to time, are we truly serving the poor, or our self interests.

I kind of liked the courtyard, we couldn't be seen at all by the general public. There were no peering eyes of judgement, of disgust as our inner city friends came through the line. There was just us...by us, I mean the CARTS community, volunteers and inner city friends. Us, all of us, the image of God.

The courtyard, filled with life, and life changing metaphors...but most of all I sensed a sacred space, a redemptive space. Here, profoundly I think with God in our midst we could restore a deeper sense of human dignity, where we love and embrace one another.