They are Somebody's Baby

A little over a week ago, I sat with two of my wonderful friends outside of Uncommon Grounds, a coffee shop located on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis. As we chatted away, getting caught up on each other's comings and goings over the summer, we were approached by a teenage boy. He proceeded to tell us a little bit of his story:

17 years old. Three days prior, he ran away from home. Meth mother with a boyfriend who was trying to get into bed with him.

He couldn't handle it any longer. Wandering the streets of downtown, trying to find a homeless shelter for youth that would take him in. Hungry, desperate, wanting more, needing hope.

His story reminded me of the following song by Jon Foreman. Please take time to listen to the song as well as let these words of Jesus Christ sink into your soul:

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)

So, what are we doing? What is the church, the body of Christ, doing for those who are homeless, helpless, and hopeless? Are we out there, meeting them on the streets or are we waiting comfortably in our church buildings for them to come to us?