Familiar Wounds

Dig up the last 32 square feet of my concrete driveway? Move four yards of topsoil with a small wheel barrow? Set the finishing touches on the backyard garden retaining walls?  Carefully spread grass seed on 400  square feet of newly leveled topsoil (which used to be a driveway)? Sure what the heck. After all, that is what Thursdays are for!

Converting a Driveway into a Greenway

One of the real joys of my sabbatical is getting to some projects around the house that have needed to be addressed for some time. Sure, this kind of thing could be hired out - but why, when it is so much fun to sweat in 80 (F) degree heat and about 75% humidity.  Getting the exercise, sun on my face, sweat from my pores....this is what Michigan summer is about!  Hopefully in another two weeks I’ll have some green results, and a gathering of a few neighbors to share it with.  

For me, working, sweating, and seeing results of the labor poured into a task is a real treat.  To know that my hands took various things and fashioned them into something beautiful (and/or useful) brings me pride, dignity and a sense of contribution to those around me - like my family.  Usually exhausted, sweating, smelly, and stumbling over by the end of my work, my beautiful wife, Jenn, comes out with a cold beer and hears something like: “Oooo-hunnee-I-dooo-gooot-werk-uuu-like?”....and it gets much clearer as the cold wet beer refreshes the thirsty muscles. Well, perhaps not, but it makes the story sound fun.

Driveway remnants repurposed into garden walls.

So this work-pride and sweat-dignity thing got me thinking about a beautiful community called the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit. This community has been ravaged by blight, drugs, fire-bombed homes and urban decay for the last couple decades. So with about 12,000 folks remaining and a 54% at/below poverty rate, there is a shortage of needs being met and tremendous “wounds” that need attention.

Within this community, there is a nonprofit group called “St. Christine Christian Services” (SCCS) that shares practical good with those in the area.  I’ve been volunteering here for a little while now and have had the opportunity to meet some really interesting characters as I go about assisting the Outreach Coordinator with developing spreadsheets, financial records, and other matters of non-profit record keeping.

Every weekday from about 10am to around 1pm or so, the SCCS hospitality suite is open to anyone and everyone for coffee, tea, water and donuts.  The regulars come in from the heat, rain, cold or whatever, and simply relax.  They talk about the best ribs they had yesterday, how so-and-so hasn’t been seen in a while, a new side-job someone earned, or the need for ideas on how to get somewhere across town - without taking the expressway. What I found is that whatever conversation is being had, there is usually a very sincere listener waiting to see how it all unfolds. Such community.  And, such a significant amount of healthy pride, self worth, and dignity that seems to bubble up when some talks about the lawn they mowed, the bulbs they replaced, or the minor repair they worked on. In fact, their story can sometimes go on for a few days after it actually happened.   

So taking another step further in thinking about the dignity of work, and the wounds of a community, last week Wednesday was the feast of St. Thomas.  My priest shared some beautiful insight about how Thomas usually gets a bad rap for “doubting”.  While there may be a case for calling him “doubting Thomas” it should be balanced with his heroic nature where he says to his fellow disciples “Let us also go to die with him” (John 11:16) and his inquisitive nature on knowing “the way” (John 14:5). 

Later on, after Christ’s resurrection, Thomas was amongst his fellow disciples when Christ appeared to them.  Christ had Thomas’ finger placed in His wounded hand and then placed Thomas’ hand into His wounded side. At this moment, Thomas believed the resurrection.  The insightful comment that my priest shared was “Thomas was in touch with the wounds of Christ”. Now, expounding on that, we theologically know that Christians are the body of Christ on earth.  Christians are His hands and feet to do the work of caring, loving, forgiving and healing. But, like Christ’s body hand wounds that Thomas was in touch with, this body Christians are part of also has wounds. The challenge for Christians is to be in touch with these wounds, and familiarize themselves to the point of putting their hands into the wound itself. These wounds may look like poverty, homelessness, various forms of abuse, human rights infractions, and so on. 

For me, working in the communities of NW Detroit is one way to be in touch with these wounds of Christ. Sharing a sense of dignity with my neighbors - like sharing a brown bag lunch with our homeless friend, “Lady-Telegraph”, is one way to ease the pain that these brothers and sisters have. So working hard offers a sense of dignity, and familiarizing oneself with the wounds of Christ is a compassionate way of nourishing the hurting.  Perhaps working hard for the sake of the hurting is an ultimate demonstration of Christ’s life...after all, there is no greater love than giving up your [way of] life to save/serve another. 

***If you would like to learn more about St Christine Christian Services, or would like to make a food or financial donation, please call 313.535.7272. You may also visit them at 15317 Dacosta St. in Detroit.***